2023 Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You
Public Relations & Advertising is the #52 most popular major in the country with 21,099 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 24 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for public relations students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Featured Public Relations Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Communication - Public Relations
Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.
MA in Communication - Public Relations
Learn how to use the latest technology and tactics to manage the flow of information between brands and the public with your Master's in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations at Southern New Hampshire University.
Top 10 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Arizona State University - Skysong the best value school in the Southwest Region for public relations and advertising students. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASU - Skysong are $13,092 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, ASU - Skysong also did well on our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Public Relations & Advertising at Arizona State University - Skysong Report
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Out of the 24 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, West Texas A&M University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
West Texas A&M University undergraduate students pay an average of $11,208 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Public Relations & Advertising at West Texas A&M University Report
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Out of the 24 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Central Oklahoma landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Edmond, UCO is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UCO undergraduate students pay an average of $18,917 in tuition and fees each year. On average, public relations graduates from UCO take out $23,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Texas A&M University - College Station is a great value for public relations and advertising students. Texas A&M College Station is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Texas A&M College Station are $38,855 a year.
Texas A&M College Station also took the #4 spot in our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region rankings.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Texas A&M University - College Station
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The excellent programs at Texas Tech University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Texas Tech are $24,121 per year. Public Relations majors at Texas Tech take out an average of $23,050 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $323, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Texas Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region list.
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Grand Canyon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #6 on the list. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Grand Canyon University are $17,189 a year. On average, public relations graduates from Grand Canyon University take out $21,875 in student loans while working on their degree.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Grand Canyon University
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With a ranking of #7, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for public relations and advertising students. University of Oklahoma is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at University of Oklahoma are $25,116 a year. While working on their degree, public relations majors at University of Oklahoma accumulate an average of around $22,872 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, University of Oklahoma also is in the top 20% of our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
Full Public Relations & Advertising at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Report
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Texas State University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Texas State is a very large public school located in the small city of San Marcos.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Texas State are $22,559 per year. On average, public relations graduates from Texas State take out $21,954 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $244.
Full Public Relations & Advertising at Texas State University Report
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University of Houston came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. UH is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Houston.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UH are $21,891 a year. Public Relations majors at UH take out an average of $23,100 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $230, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
UH excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region list.
Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Houston
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The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a fairly large student population.
UT Austin undergraduate students pay an average of $40,996 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, public relations majors at UT Austin accumulate an average of around $22,115 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $253.
UT Austin also made our Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region list, coming in at #2.
Full Public Relations & Advertising at The University of Texas at Austin Report
Request InformationBest Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State
Explore the best public relations and advertising schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 1,985 |
| Arizona | 295 |
| Oklahoma | 286 |
More Public Relations & Advertising Rankings in the Southwest Region
Other Related Public Relations Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
BA in Communication - Public Relations
Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.
MA in Communication - Public Relations
Learn how to use the latest technology and tactics to manage the flow of information between brands and the public with your Master's in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations at Southern New Hampshire University.
MA in Communication - New Media & Marketing
Keep your skills and knowledge at the forefront of new media technologies with this specialized online master's from Southern New Hampshire University.
Public Relations & Advertising Related Majors for Public Relations
Public Relations & Advertising is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related to Public Relations
| 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 24 schools only.
- 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.