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Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California

31 Colleges
$42,000 Avg Salary
$23,490 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Public Relations & Advertising School for You

In 2020-2021, 861 degrees and certificates were awarded to public relations and advertising students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #99 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 31 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular programs 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Colleges.

Our 2023 rankings named University of Southern California the most popular school in California for public relations and advertising students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

On average, public relations graduates from USC take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $494, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at University of Southern California

#2

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pepperdine University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Pepperdine take out is $26,000. 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 Pepperdine University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California list. CSUDH is a large public school located in the small city of Carson.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at California State University - Dominguez Hills

The excellent programs at San Jose State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best public relations and advertising schools in California. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

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#5

Chapman University

Orange, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Chapman University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

On average, public relations graduates from Chapman take out $22,250 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $481.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Chapman University Report

California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for public relations and advertising students. It came in at #6 on the list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at California State University - Long Beach Report

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Public Relations majors at SDSU take out an average of $17,390 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

With a ranking of #8, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for public relations and advertising students. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Riverside.

While working on their degree, public relations majors at Cal Baptist accumulate an average of around $26,125 in student debt.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at California Baptist University

#9

Biola University

La Mirada, CA

Biola University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular public relations and advertising programs. Located in the large suburb of La Mirada, Biola is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that public relations majors at Biola take out is $19,500.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at Biola University Report

#10

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

University of San Francisco came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, public relations graduates from USFCA carry an average student debt load of $25,990.

Full Public Relations & Advertising at University of San Francisco Report

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 365
Oregon 659

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 31 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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