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2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California

14 Colleges in California
906 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$42,000 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.

College Factual reviewed 14 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of public relations & advertising. Combined, these schools handed out 906 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 California 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 California

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.

10 Top California Schools in Public Relations

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$49,816 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising has to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 178 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of around $7,816 over the typical income of public relations & advertising graduates.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
148 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
26.4% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising has to take a look at Pepperdine University. Pepperdine is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu. A Best Colleges rank of #94 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 148 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising degree program at Pepperdine University get $4,780 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$49,739 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat San Jose State University if you want to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were about 80 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising major at San Jose State University make $7,739 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$43,478 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Chapman University if you wish to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.

There were roughly 60 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program make about $43,478 in the first couple years of their career.

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

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$45,954 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #164 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the public relations & advertising program at University of San Francisco make $3,954 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
41.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.

There were about 53 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, public relations degree recipients typically earn about $37,838 in their early careers.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
13th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 43rd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 10 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent data year.

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

8
Biola crest
Biola University
La Mirada, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$37,928 Median Starting Salary

Biola is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of La Mirada. This university ranks 58th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 35 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Biola in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public relations program earn an average of $37,928 in the first couple years of their career.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In CA
54 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.

There were about 54 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from California State University - Long Beach

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In CA
10.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of San Diego, PLNU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 69th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 19 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at PLNU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Point Loma Nazarene University

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

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 360
Oregon 266 655

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 334
Advertising 183
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 159
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 83
Health Communication 64
Technical & Scientific Communication 34
General Organizational Communication 26
International & Intercultural Communication 23

View All Public Relations Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 13,181
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 2,551
Journalism 1,640
Communication & Journalism (Other) 60
Publishing 4

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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