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2025 Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

39 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
3,726 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 39 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for public relations & advertising students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,726 degrees in public relations & advertising annually.

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

Choosing a Great Public Relations & Advertising School

Best Public Relations & Advertising Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region 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. 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.

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

Associate Degrees in Public Relations
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 the Middle Atlantic Region. 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 Middle Atlantic 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 Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Public Relations

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
130 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising has to look into George Washington University. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 130 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from George Washington University make $31,608 more than the standard public relations graduate.

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

2
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
358 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$58,458 Median Starting Salary

Syracuse University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in public relations & advertising. Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were about 358 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from Syracuse University earn $16,497 more than the standard public relations graduate.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Syracuse 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
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
285 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$41,165 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in public relations & advertising needs to take a look at Temple University. Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 285 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the public relations program earn an average of $41,165 in the first couple years of working.

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

4
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
236 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$35,116 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Rowan University if you wish to pursue a degree in public relations & advertising. Rowan is a large public university located in the large suburb of Glassboro. This university ranks 13th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 236 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Rowan in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program report average early career wages of $35,116.

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

5
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
24.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means The American University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 166 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent data year. Those public relations & advertising students who get their degree from American University make $11,465 more than the average public relations graduate.

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

6
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
142 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$39,446 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 23rd out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 142 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program report average early career earnings of $39,446.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
579 Public Relations Degrees Awarded
$34,586 Median Starting Salary

FIT SUNY is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #32 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means FIT SUNY is a great school overall.

There were approximately 579 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at FIT SUNY in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the public relations program report average early career income of $34,586.

More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Fashion Institute of Technology

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
1st Most Popular In DE
31 Public Relations Degrees Awarded

Located in the large suburb of Newark, UD is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #96 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UD is a great university overall.

There were about 31 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at UD in the most recent data year.

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

9
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,145 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 11th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 26 public relations & advertising students who graduated with this degree at Rider in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the public relations program earn about $39,145 in their early career salary.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.More information about a degree in public relations & advertising from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

Best Public Relations & Advertising Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 1,080
New York 333 1,747
Maryland 279 41
New Jersey 273 315
District of Columbia 188 514
Delaware 175 1

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 830
Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 734
Communication Management and Strategic Communications 630
Advertising 603
Other Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication 432
Sports Communication 160
General Organizational Communication 145
Political Communication 103
Health Communication 45
International & Intercultural Communication 25

View All Public Relations Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Public Relations

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 9,529
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 3,827
Journalism 2,288
Communication & Journalism (Other) 411
Publishing 142

View All Public Relations Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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