College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 180 colleges (180 of 180 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$36,914

Graduates only, early career.$37,506 two years out.

Median federal debt

$23,250

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.61×

61% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication report early-career pay between $33,542 and $40,024 — a spread of $6,482 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $33,542 median $36,914 75th pct $40,024

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 7 colleges $21,858 $10,666 0.48×

Bachelor's 180 colleges $36,914 $23,250 0.61×

Master's 31 colleges $51,147 $44,159 0.85×

Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

San Jose State University CA $49,739 —

George Washington University DC $47,727 $23,250 debt

Syracuse University NY $47,611 $24,375 debt

Pepperdine University CA $46,780 $24,112 debt

University of Southern California CA $46,759 $19,500 debt

Assumption University MA $46,406 $27,000 debt

University of San Francisco CA $45,954 $24,000 debt

American University DC $45,098 $26,442 debt

The University of Texas at Austin TX $44,918 $20,402 debt

Miami University-Hamilton OH $44,717 $23,500 debt

Miami University-Middletown OH $44,717 $23,500 debt

Miami University-Oxford OH $44,717 $23,500 debt

Long Island University NY $44,383 —

Franklin University OH $44,084 $26,332 debt

Pace University NY $43,914 $24,525 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard