Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

25

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$244,615

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$51,363

Cost of attendance

# College State 20-Yr Net ROI Median Salary Annual Cost Avg Debt
1 Northwestern University

Grad rate: 96.2%

 IL +$1,235,492 $112,555 $87,804 N/A Full ROI →
2 CUNY City College

Grad rate: 56.6%

 NY +$707,452 $78,724 $13,514 N/A Full ROI →
3 George Washington University

Grad rate: 85.0%

 DC +$549,166 $77,531 $80,727 N/A Full ROI →
4 Georgetown University

Grad rate: 95.0%

 DC +$548,088 $77,874 $84,696 N/A Full ROI →
5 Marist University

Grad rate: 80.6%

 NY +$501,064 $73,443 $63,898 N/A Full ROI →
6 West Virginia University

Grad rate: 61.7%

 WV +$338,824 $61,309 $23,678 N/A Full ROI →
7 Academy of Art University

Grad rate: 42.4%

 CA +$337,390 $63,589 $47,195 N/A Full ROI →
8 Boston University

Grad rate: 89.5%

 MA +$307,212 $65,630 $82,694 N/A Full ROI →
9 The University of Texas at Austin

Grad rate: 87.7%

 TX +$272,256 $58,597 $29,842 N/A Full ROI →
10 Rider University

Grad rate: 64.8%

 NJ +$265,036 $60,650 $53,982 N/A Full ROI →
11 DePaul University

Grad rate: 69.7%

 IL +$243,426 $60,118 $59,467 N/A Full ROI →
12 Ohio University-Main Campus

Grad rate: 65.7%

 OH +$221,542 $55,930 $28,529 N/A Full ROI →
13 American University

Grad rate: 79.0%

 DC +$211,962 $59,753 $71,549 N/A Full ROI →
14 Florida State University

Grad rate: 83.9%

 FL +$166,094 $52,673 $23,683 N/A Full ROI →
15 Sacred Heart University

Grad rate: 73.7%

 CT +$163,402 $56,837 $66,669 N/A Full ROI →
16 Webster University

Grad rate: 60.0%

 MO +$159,104 $54,877 $49,218 N/A Full ROI →
17 University of Southern California

Grad rate: 92.2%

 CA +$128,884 $56,912 $84,678 N/A Full ROI →
18 California Baptist University

Grad rate: 61.2%

 CA +$38,944 $49,188 $52,408 N/A Full ROI →
19 Southern New Hampshire University

Grad rate: 43.2%

 NH +$27,512 $47,128 $37,524 N/A Full ROI →
20 St. John's University-New York

Grad rate: 68.9%

 NY +$17,858 $49,086 $61,931 N/A Full ROI →
21 Michigan State University

Grad rate: 81.9%

 MI +$13,684 $45,737 $30,528 N/A Full ROI →
22 Hofstra University

Grad rate: 67.4%

 NY +$4,004 $49,030 $68,298 N/A Full ROI →
23 Indiana University-Indianapolis

Grad rate: 55.1%

 IN -$16,872 $43,378 $22,216 N/A Full ROI →
24 Full Sail University

Grad rate: 45.0%

 FL -$110,608 $40,451 $39,814 N/A Full ROI →
25 Universidad del Sagrado Corazon

Grad rate: 41.7%

 PR -$215,520 $33,179 $19,550 N/A Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication Degrees by State

Browse Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.

California Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Connecticut Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Florida Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Illinois Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Indiana Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Massachusetts Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Michigan Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Missouri Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → New Hampshire Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → New Jersey Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → New York Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Ohio Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → Texas Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication → West Virginia Best Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication →