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Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

92 Colleges
$36,703 Avg Salary
$24,522 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor's Degree 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 92 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Public Relations & Advertising program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for public relations majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

#1

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Our 2023 rankings named Michigan State University the most popular school in the Great Lakes Region for public relations and advertising students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 565 students majoring in public relations at Michigan State, 47% are male and 53% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, public relations graduates from Michigan State carry an average student debt load of $24,007. 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

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. UIUC is a very large public school located in the city of Champaign.

Of the 222 students majoring in public relations at UIUC, 31% are male and 69% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public relations majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $19,396 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $428, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Out of the 92 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Grand Valley State University landed the # 3 spot on the list. GVSU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Allendale.

Of the 208 students majoring in public relations at GVSU, 29% are male and 71% are female.

On average, public relations graduates from GVSU take out $25,348 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $286, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at Grand Valley State University

#4

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means DePaul University is a great place for public relations and advertising students working on their bachelor’s degree. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

About 68% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 32% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, public relations graduates from DePaul carry an average student debt load of $23,529. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $571, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at DePaul University Report

Out of the 92 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the # 5 spot on the list. Miami University - Oxford is a large public school located in the town of Oxford.

Of the 146 students majoring in public relations at Miami University - Oxford, 27% are male and 73% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, public relations graduates from Miami University - Oxford carry an average student debt load of $21,564. 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

Loyola University Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Of the 127 students majoring in public relations at Loyola Chicago, 18% are male and 82% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public relations majors at Loyola Chicago accumulate an average of around $22,707 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $801.

Read More…

#7

Cleveland State University

Cleveland, OH

Cleveland State University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Cleveland, Cleveland State University is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 69% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 31% are male.

On average, public relations graduates from Cleveland State University take out $30,342 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $140.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Cleveland State University Report

#8

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

Marquette University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public relations and advertising programs. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

About 62% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 38% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, public relations majors at Marquette accumulate an average of around $22,724 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $593, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#9

Central Michigan University

Mount Pleasant, MI

Central Michigan University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for public relations and advertising students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant, Central Michigan is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 101 students majoring in public relations at Central Michigan, 21% are male and 79% are female.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $258.

Read More…

#10

Ball State University

Muncie, IN

Ball State University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public relations and advertising programs. Ball State is a very large public school located in the small city of Muncie.

About 77% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 23% are male.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $331.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Ball State University Report

#11

Butler University

Indianapolis, IN

Butler University ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Butler is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

About 77% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 23% are male.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Butler take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,345.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Butler University Report

With a ranking of #12, Illinois State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public relations and advertising students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public school with a very large student population.

About 67% of the students majoring in public relations at the school are women while 33% are male.

Public Relations majors at Illinois State take out an average of $22,130 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $259, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Illinois State University Report

#13

Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, MI

Western Michigan University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree public relations and advertising programs. Located in the city of Kalamazoo, WMU is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 78% of the public relations majors at the school.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, public relations graduates from WMU carry an average student debt load of $27,487. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $328, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Public Relations & Advertising students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
14 Bradley University Peoria, IL
15 University of Wisconsin - River Falls River Falls, WI
16 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
17 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
18 Kent State University at Kent Kent, 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.

  • 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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