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Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

66 Colleges
$37,239 Avg Salary
$24,698 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, public relations and advertising was ranked #52 in the country. In fact 21,099 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 66 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges.

Top 10 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for public relations and advertising students who want to pursue a degree in the Great Lakes Region . Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Northwestern University

#2

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

The excellent programs at Marquette University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

On average, public relations graduates from Marquette take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $593, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Marquette University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

On average, public relations graduates from UIUC take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $428, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UW - Madison is a very large public school located in the city of Madison.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#5

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Dayton is a great place for public relations and advertising students. UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Dayton.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at University of Dayton Report

Miami University - Oxford landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations and advertising programs. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the fringe town of Oxford.

Public Relations majors at Miami University - Oxford take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Miami University - Oxford

#7

Illinois Media School

Lombard, IL

Illinois Media School came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Lombard, Illinois Media School is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Illinois Media School take out is $15,833.

Read More…

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Michigan State take out is $25,122. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Michigan State University Report

Miami University - Hamilton landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best public relations and advertising programs. Located in the large suburb of Hamilton, Miami University - Hamilton is a public college with a small student population.

Public Relations majors at Miami University - Hamilton take out an average of $24,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $511.

Read More…

#10

Franklin University

Columbus, OH

Franklin University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Columbus, Franklin University is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Franklin University accumulate an average of around $40,666 in student debt.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Franklin University

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Northwood University Midland, MI
12 Miami University - Middletown Middletown, OH
13 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

Explore the best public relations and advertising schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 1,190
Ohio 634
Illinois 930
Indiana 322
Wisconsin 288

One of 5 majors within the area of study, public relations and advertising has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
Journalism 13,552
Communication & Journalism (Other) 1,128
Publishing 336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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