2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in Illinois (With Aid)

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 20,229 people earned their degree in public relations and advertising, making the major the 53rd most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, public relations and advertising graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $36,513 and had an average of $25,130 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 953 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $42,467 and $24,558 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 112 public relations and advertising graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 3 colleges that offer a degree in public relations and advertising. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great public relations and advertising programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the public relations and advertising program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in Illinois (With Aid)

#1

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$65,238 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 masters’s public relations degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Public Relations & Advertising Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$70,776 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #2 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s public relations degrees to 50 students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern also took the #1 spot in our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567.

Read more about Public Relations & Advertising at Northwestern

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$19,760 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$56,234 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Public Relations Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Getting Aid list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 38 masters’s public relations degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Public Relations & Advertising Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Public Relations & Advertising at DePaul University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising in the Great Lakes Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Public Relations & Advertising (With Aid)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Bill Koplitz.

Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >