College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia

4 Colleges in District of Columbia
522 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$53,094 Avg Early-Career Salary
Public Relations & Advertising is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #52 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 4 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 522 degrees in public relations & advertising during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia The public relations program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for public relations & advertising schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Public Relations & Advertising Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Relations
Master's Degrees in Public Relations

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in District of Columbia list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising in District of Columbia

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public relations degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top District of Columbia Schools in Public Relations

1
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
140 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$76,798 Median Starting Salary

Georgetown University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were about 140 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising major at Georgetown University get $23,704 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Georgetown University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

George Washington University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were about 130 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from George Washington University make $2,607 more than the average public relations student.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from George Washington University

3
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
24.7% Growth in Graduates

American University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 166 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public relations degree recipients usually make about $48,123 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from American University

4
Howard crest
Howard University
Washington, DC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$34,119 Median Starting Salary

Howard University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. Howard is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. This university ranks 6th out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were approximately 80 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Howard in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program state that they receive average early career earnings of $34,119.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Howard University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In DC

Trinity College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. This university ranks 8th out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 6 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Trinity College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Trinity Washington University

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Pennsylvania3341,080
New York3331,747
Maryland27941
New Jersey273315
Delaware1751

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Public Relations & Advertising has other similar majors worth exploring.

Public Relations Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Relations250
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication161
Political Communication101
Health Communication9
Advertising1

View All Public Relations Concentrations >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies181
Journalism166
Communication & Journalism (Other)122
Radio, Television & Digital Communication56
Publishing48

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options