To date, we’ve asked 120 current and past public relations, advertising, and communication students about their happiness with their degree. Turns out, they rate it average.

Majors can be changed, but why not start out with the right one.

To help you reach the decision that is right for you, we asked students who have pursued a public relations, advertising, and communication degree to respond to questions concerning five dimensions of the educational track they chose:

  • Course material: Were they interested in the material they learned?
  • Intellectual fulfillment: Did they find the coursework intellectually stimulating?
  • Job prospects: Did they leave the program with job opportunities?
  • Personality: Was the degree a good fit for their personality?
  • Overall fit: Were they happy with the program overall?

We examined their responses and combined the rankings to give us an average satisfaction score across all students. This doesn't necessarily reflect how satisfied you would be with a public relations, advertising, and communication degree, but it’s a starting point to help you evaluate your options.

How satisfied are public relations, advertising, and communication students compared to other degrees?

Overall, public relations, advertising, and communication students rate their satisfaction with their degree a 3.2 out of 5. This is standard compared to other degrees which average a rating of 3.28 across all degrees. For context, public relations, advertising, and communication students rate their happiness similarly to students in Fine Arts, Computer Engineering and Related Studies and Environmental Studies.

Here are other degrees that have a similar satisfaction rating to public relations, advertising, and communication

DegreeAvg Grad SalarySatisfaction
Political Science$72,475
Animal Sciences and Related Studies$58,352
Environmental Studies$57,965
Computer Engineering and Related Studies$100,554
Public Relations, Advertising, and Communication$64,870
Fine Arts$45,292
Management Information Systems$86,048
Computer Engineering$101,714
Engineering Technology$78,515

Let's break that down further.

Are public relations, advertising, and communication students satisfied with what they’re learning?

We asked students about their satisfaction with their course material and overall intellectual fulfillment. Here’s what they said:

We asked graduates how interesting they found the course material to be. Their response was:
3.8 out of 5 stars
132 ratings
5 stars
27%
4 stars
33%
3 stars
28%
2 stars
7%
1 stars
4%
We asked graduates how intellectually fulfilling they found the degree. Their response was:
3.4 out of 5 stars
133 ratings
5 stars
18%
4 stars
30%
3 stars
26%
2 stars
17%
1 stars
7%

These ratings are meant to give you an indication about what other people enrolled in public relations, advertising, and communication experienced. While their input is useful, keep in mind that different people have had vastly different experiences, all of which were impacted by their personal motivations, professors, and specific curriculum. Always keep your own goals at the center of your decision-making process when it comes to something as significant as your education.

Did public relations, advertising, and communication graduates leave school with good job prospects?

Of course, working towards a degree is also about pursuing your desired career. Here’s what public relations, advertising, and communication grads had to say about their job prospects:

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their job prospects. Their response was:
3.3 out of 5 stars
128 ratings
5 stars
14%
4 stars
31%
3 stars
27%
2 stars
20%
1 stars
7%

These responses represent a wide range of opinions. Things like extracurricular activities, internships and work placements can set you up for success after graduation.

Were public relations, advertising, and communication students happy with their degree overall?

This rating takes into account all factors: how demanding the program is, whether graduates felt it was worthwhile, and how fulfilling they found their educational experience.

We asked graduates how satisfied they were with their degree as a whole. Their response was:
3.2 out of 5 stars
120 ratings
5 stars
21%
4 stars
14%
3 stars
37%
2 stars
20%
1 stars
8%

As you consider this information and input from others, remember above all that your choice should be based on your interests, goals, passions, and abilities. Consider the future and give yourself time. If you’re feeling unsure, click here to take our career assessment and see what path could be right for you.

Salary

Find out what graduates typically earn.

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