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Major · Communication & Journalism

An umbrella major for persuasive, applied communication

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication is the broad CIP 09.09 group code that bundles PR, advertising, and integrated organizational communication into one applied track. About 2,997 graduates finish each year across 159 institutions, with bachelor’s earnings near $62K five years out.

Schools offering
159
Annual completions
2,997
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$62k

About this major

Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication is filed under CIP 09.0900, the broader umbrella code that bundles persuasive communication tracks together rather than splitting them. The federal CIP definition frames it as a general program covering organizational communication, public relations, and advertising, designed to prepare graduates for positions that require persuasive communication skills across public and private sectors. Coursework typically spans media writing, audience research, campaign planning, message and image design, professional speaking, digital and social media strategy, ethics, and applied client projects.

This is the major for students who want a mixed toolkit rather than a narrow specialty. It draws people who like writing on deadline, enjoy reading audiences, and are willing to defend a creative choice in front of a client or boss. The work is collaborative and client-facing more than solitary or technical. About 2,997 graduates complete this umbrella program each year across 159 institutions, which is small compared to the 42,445 who finish Marketing or even the 3,875 in the named Advertising program (09.0903).

Because this is the broad-umbrella code, what you actually study varies a lot by school. Some programs treat it as integrated communications with rotating concentrations; others use it because they offer a single applied-comms degree that won’t fit neatly into PR or advertising buckets. Read the course catalog before assuming what’s inside.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Public relations specialists $70k +4.8% Bachelor's degree
Fundraisers $66k +4.3% Bachelor's degree
Public relations managers $139k +5.0% Bachelor's degree
Fundraising managers $123k +4.2% Bachelor's degree
Communications teachers, postsecondary $78k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Advertising and promotions managers $127k -2.2% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$62k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$55k

Bachelor's

$62k

Who this major is for

Strong fits tend to share a few traits. Students who graduate with two or three internships at agencies, in-house comms shops, or nonprofits routinely outperform peers on starting salary — internships are heavily rewarded in this field, and the major itself is not a guaranteed pipeline. The bachelor’s premium is real but modest, with median earnings around $62,266 versus $54,879 for associate’s holders. If writing under deadline energizes you, if you can take editorial criticism without flinching, and if you like translating complicated subjects into language a general audience understands, the work usually feels like a fit.

Two signals suggest a different major may serve you better. If your interest in marketing comes from the analytics and channel-strategy side rather than the writing and media-facing side, a Marketing major (52.1401, 42,445 graduates a year) tends to land closer to that work. And if you’re drawn to a specific lane — investigative journalism, broadcast production, narrative writing — the umbrella nature of this CIP can feel diluted compared to a more focused communication or journalism program at a school that splits PR (09.0902) and Advertising (09.0903) into distinct degrees.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 374 374
Florida International University Miami, FL 0 210 210
University of South Florida Tampa, FL 0 173 173
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 0 141 141
Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA 0 121 121
University of Houston Houston, TX 0 112 112
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 0 105 105
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 0 98 98
Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 0 98 98
The University of Tampa Tampa, FL 0 98 98
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Marketing/Marketing Management, General

42,445 completions/yr

Speech Communication and Rhetoric

29,295 completions/yr

Communication, General

9,537 completions/yr

Mass Communication/Media Studies

6,797 completions/yr

Advertising

3,875 completions/yr

Public Relations/Image Management

3,305 completions/yr

Communication Management and Strategic Communications

1,438 completions/yr

Organizational Communication, General

1,262 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

How is this different from a Public Relations or Advertising major?
The named Public Relations/Image Management major (CIP 09.0902) and Advertising major (CIP 09.0903) are separate, narrower CIP codes. This umbrella program (09.0900) is what schools use when they teach PR, advertising, and applied or strategic communication together rather than splitting them into distinct degrees. Curriculum content overlaps heavily — media writing, audience research, campaign strategy, ethics — but a 09.0902 PR program will lean further into reputation management and crisis work, while 09.0903 Advertising leans into creative and media planning. About 3,305 students graduated from named PR programs and 3,875 from Advertising programs nationally, compared to 2,997 from this umbrella code.
What jobs do graduates actually get?
Public relations specialist is the most common entry role, with a median wage near $69,780 and projected 4.8% growth. Other common destinations include fundraisers ($66,490), social media coordinators, communications specialists at nonprofits and corporates, account coordinators at agencies, and market research support roles. Management titles like PR manager ($138,520) or advertising and promotions manager ($126,960) are mid-career roles that follow five to ten years of campaign work, not first-job destinations. Note that advertising and promotions managers are projected to shrink 2.2% — agency consolidation and AI-assisted campaign tools are reshaping that ladder.
Is this major worth it financially?
Median earnings five years after graduation sit around $62,266 for bachelor’s holders and $54,879 for associate’s holders. That’s a modest premium for the bachelor’s and well below quantitative business or STEM majors. The honest read: this major pays adequately, but the spread is wide. Graduates who lock in two or three internships, build a real portfolio of campaigns and writing samples, and concentrate in a city with agency density (New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles) tend to clear $70K early. Those who graduate without internships often start at $40-45K in regional comms roles.
How is AI changing this field?
Generative AI is rewriting parts of the entry-level workflow — first-draft press releases, social copy variants, basic campaign analytics, and audience segmentation are all being automated or assisted. The roles being squeezed are pure copy production and entry-level media buying. Roles being protected: strategy, client relationships, crisis communication, ethics judgment, and the kind of source-cultivating reporter relationships that PR specialists rely on. Programs that integrate AI tools into coursework (campaign automation, social listening, predictive analytics) are giving graduates a real edge. If the program you’re considering doesn’t mention AI in its syllabus at all, that’s a signal worth probing.
Should I consider Marketing instead?
Marketing (CIP 52.1401) is the largest related major, with about 42,445 graduates a year. It sits in the business school and leans more quantitative — pricing, customer analytics, channel strategy, B2B sales operations. PR/Advertising/Applied Communication sits in journalism or communication schools and leans more toward writing, persuasion, and media-facing work. If you imagine yourself building Excel models for product launches or running paid media at scale, Marketing usually fits better. If you imagine yourself writing campaigns, managing client relationships, or working in nonprofit or political communications, this major fits better. Some students hedge with a comms major plus a marketing or business minor.