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2024 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois

10 Colleges in Illinois
942 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$40,755 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.

College Factual reviewed 10 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of public relations & advertising. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 942 degrees in public relations & advertising during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois 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

The public relations school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in Illinois. 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 Illinois

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.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Public Relations

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
7.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in public relations & advertising has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 54 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $19,043 more than the standard public relations graduate.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
247 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$54,541 Median Starting Salary

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising. UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 247 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of approximately $13,786 over the typical income of public relations & advertising graduates.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
217 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$44,422 Median Starting Salary

DePaul University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in public relations & advertising. DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were about 217 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Public Relations & Advertising degree recipients from DePaul University receive an earnings boost of around $3,667 above the typical earnings of public relations & advertising graduates.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
4.7% Growth in Graduates

Loyola University Chicago is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations & advertising. Loyola Chicago is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Chicago is a great university overall.

There were approximately 127 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Chicago in the most recent data year. After graduating, public relations degree recipients typically earn about $40,389 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
69 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$36,966 Median Starting Salary

Bradley is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Peoria. This university ranks 14th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 69 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Bradley 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 wages of $36,966.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were about 89 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program report average early career earnings of $38,618.

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

7
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL

North Central is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Naperville. This college ranks 25th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 11 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, public relations degree recipients typically earn an average of $41,154 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from North Central College

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,669 Median Starting Salary
$25,697 Median Student Debt

Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Chicago. This college ranks 16th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 26 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program earn an average of $38,669 for their early career.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Columbia College Chicago

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In IL
40.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Charleston, EIU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 51st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 25 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at EIU in the most recent data year.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$28,800 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small suburb of Bourbonnais. This university ranks 33rd out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 11 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Olivet Nazarene in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, public relations degree recipients generally make around $28,800 in their early careers.

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

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 1,190
Ohio 314 625
Indiana 294 321
Wisconsin 273 288

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
Advertising 274
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 272
Public Relations 152
Health Communication 90
Sports Communication 60
General Organizational Communication 59
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 24
Political Communication 11

View All Public Relations Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 2,072
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 1,156
Journalism 332
Communication & Journalism (Other) 44

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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