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2025 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in North Carolina

6 Colleges in North Carolina
490 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$41,961 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in public relations & advertising is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #52 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 6 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 490 degrees in public relations & advertising to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in North Carolina 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. We derive our Best Overall Public Relations & Advertising School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Public Relations & Advertising in North Carolina

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the public relations degree levels they offer.

Top North Carolina Schools in Public Relations

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In NC
176 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

Any student who is interested in public relations & advertising needs to look into Elon University. Elon is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were roughly 176 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
158 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

Appalachian State University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in public relations & advertising. Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 158 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program earn about $36,559 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Appalachian State 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
8th Most Popular In NC
21.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising needs to take a look at North Carolina State University. Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 23 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NC
51 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

University of North Carolina at Wilmington is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Wilmington. This university ranks 12th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 51 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

5
Campbell crest
Campbell University
Buies Creek, NC

Located in the town of Buies Creek, Campbell is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 49th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 17 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Campbell in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public relations degree recipients usually earn about $31,953 in their early careers.

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

6
Wingate crest
Wingate University
Wingate, NC

Located in the suburb of Wingate, Wingate is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 60th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 21 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Wingate in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program state that they receive average early career earnings of $40,438.

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

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 639
Florida 282 1,746
Virginia 274 82
Tennessee 269 281
South Carolina 248 345
Kentucky 244 436
Louisiana 242 124
Mississippi 234 64
Arkansas 234 134
Alabama 233 475
West Virginia 207 114

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

Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 202
Public Relations 82
Advertising 76
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 68
Sports Communication 35
General Organizational Communication 26
Health Communication 1

View All Public Relations Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 2,717
Communication & Journalism (Other) 317
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 275
Journalism 111

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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