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2025 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region

15 Colleges in the Southwest Region
2,679 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$41,961 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in public relations & advertising, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #52 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,679 degrees in public relations & advertising to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of public relations & advertising school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Public Relations & Advertising School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Public Relations & Advertising Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Public Relations
Master's Degrees in Public Relations
Doctor'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 the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of public relations degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Public Relations

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
554 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$48,606 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is a good option for students interested in a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 554 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin make $6,645 more than the typical public relations student.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
21.9% Growth in Graduates

Southern Methodist University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 137 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from Southern Methodist University receive an earnings boost of around $9,867 above the typical earnings of public relations & advertising majors.

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

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Communication - Public Relations Program Name

Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.

More information about a degree in BA in Communication - Public Relations from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
403 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$42,864 Median Starting Salary

Texas Tech University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising. Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were roughly 403 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program earn about $42,864 in their early career salary.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
35.2% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Texas Christian University if you wish to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 159 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from Texas Christian University make $6,092 more than the typical public relations graduate.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
225 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Houston, UH is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 225 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UH 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 $42,472.

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

6
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
150 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$36,920 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Flagstaff, NAU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 150 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public relations program make around $36,920 in their early career salary.

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

7
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
386 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 386 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. After graduating, public relations degree recipients usually earn around $40,411 in their early careers.

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

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MA in Communication - Public Relations Program Name

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.

More information about a degree in MA in Communication - Public Relations from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
139 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
23.0% Growth in Graduates

ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 139 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the public relations program make about $39,492 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Arizona State University - Tempe

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
56 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 13th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 56 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of North Texas

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
18.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were about 87 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising program at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus earn $3,798 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

Explore the best public relations & advertising schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 1,922
Arizona 287 285
Oklahoma 257 286

View All Rankings >

Public Relations & Advertising is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Public Relations Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Advertising 849
Public Relations 649
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 435
Sports Communication 218
General Organizational Communication 197
Communication Management and Strategic Communications 174
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 68
Technical & Scientific Communication 67
Health Communication 14
International & Intercultural Communication 8

View All Public Relations Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Public Relations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 6,617
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 2,374
Journalism 1,605
Communication & Journalism (Other) 18
Publishing 4

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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