ADBLOCK #102
College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2026 Best Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

4 Colleges in the United States
483 Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Degrees Awarded
$53,264 Avg Early-Career Salary

Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. A focused field like this rewards careful comparison of the schools that offer it.

College Factual analyzed 12 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best public relations, advertising, & applied communication schools.

What’s on this page:

ADBLOCK #159
DEBUG: Raw major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Initial offers_url = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json", major_slug = ""
DEBUG: After cleaning major_slug = ""
DEBUG: Before URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json"
DEBUG: After TrimSuffix = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json"
DEBUG: After HTTPS placeholder = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json"
DEBUG: After slash cleaning = "HTTPS_TEMP_PLACEHOLDERwww.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json"
DEBUG: After URL cleaning = "https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json"
DEBUG: offers_url = https://www.collegefactual.com/majors/communication-journalism-media/public-relations-advertising/public-relations-advertising-and-applied-communication/offers.json
DEBUG: major_slug = ""
DEBUG: offers_url is valid, proceeding to fetch data
DEBUG: offers_data.offers found, count = 6
DEBUG: Specific major detected (cip4 = 09.09), keeping min_relevance at 0.8
DEBUG: Starting relevance filtering - min_relevance = 0.8, max_relevance = 1
DEBUG: Checking offer "Public Relations (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Public Relations (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Public Relations (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.8
DEBUG: ✓ Offer "Public Relations (I Have a Bachelors)" ACCEPTED (relevance 0.8)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Marketing (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Marketing (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Marketing (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Marketing (I Have a HS Diploma or Associate Degree)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "Marketing (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "Marketing (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: Checking offer "MBA - Marketing (I Have a Bachelors)" with relevance 0.7
DEBUG: ✗ Offer "MBA - Marketing (I Have a Bachelors)" REJECTED (relevance 0.7)
DEBUG: relevant_offers count = 2
DEBUG: relevant_offers > 0, checking for ESYOH offers
DEBUG: ESYOH filtering - found 2 ESYOH offers with relevance >= 0.8
DEBUG: esyoh_offers count = 2
DEBUG: ESYOH offers found, rendering ESYOH widget
DEBUG: most_relevant_only = true, filtering for most relevant
DEBUG: Found 0 offers with relevance >= 1.0
DEBUG: Backfilling with 0 offers with relevance >= 0.9
DEBUG: Backfilling with 2 offers with relevance >= 0.8

Best Schools for Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication in the Rocky Mountains Region

If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees they offer, see the list below.

Top Schools in Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication

1

University Of Colorado Boulder is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in public relations, advertising, & applied communication. This very large public university is located in the city of Boulder. The six-year graduation rate is 74%. There were roughly 379 public relations, advertising, & applied communication students who graduated with this degree at University Of Colorado Boulder in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public relations, advertising, & applied communication degree recipients from University Of Colorado Boulder generally make around $66,246. Students borrow a median of $19,433 to complete this degree. Get the full public relations, advertising, & applied communication details for University Of Colorado Boulder

2

Utah Valley University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in public relations, advertising, & applied communication, landing the #2 spot this year. Set in the city of Orem, Utah Valley University is a very large public institution. Roughly 40% of students complete a degree within six years here. Utah Valley University awarded about 75 public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public relations, advertising, & applied communication degree recipients from Utah Valley University generally make around $51,242. Utah Valley University graduates carry a median of $16,478 in student loans. Get the full public relations, advertising, & applied communication details for Utah Valley University

3

A rank of #3 makes Boise State University one of the top schools for public relations, advertising, & applied communication. Set in the city of Boise, Boise State University is a very large public institution. Roughly 59% of students complete a degree within six years here. There were roughly 16 public relations, advertising, & applied communication students who graduated with this degree at Boise State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, public relations, advertising, & applied communication degree recipients from Boise State University generally make around $43,876. Boise State University graduates carry a median of $22,977 in student loans. Read more about the public relations, advertising, & applied communication program at Boise State University

4

A rank of #4 makes Colorado State University Fort Collins one of the top schools for public relations, advertising, & applied communication. Colorado State University Fort Collins is a very large public school located in the city of Fort Collins. The six-year graduation rate is 66%. Colorado State University Fort Collins awarded about 13 public relations, advertising, & applied communication degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their public relations, advertising, & applied communication degree from Colorado State University Fort Collins earn around $51,693 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $22,843 to complete this degree. See the full public relations, advertising, & applied communication program report for Colorado State University Fort Collins

Narrow Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Schools by State

ADBLOCK #173
View All Public Relations, Advertising, & Applied Communication Rankings >

ADBLOCK #115

Notes and References

This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).

Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 12 schools evaluated.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

ADBLOCK #116

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs
ADBLOCK #613

Compare Your School Options