Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Northwestern University

Evanston, IL · Master's Degree · about 27 graduates a year

$82,421
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$96,250
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$80,125
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#5 of 29
Rank by pay
#3 of 29
Rank, wage-adjusted
$54,057
Median federal debt

Northwestern University graduates in public relations, advertising, and applied communication earn 20% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 56% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Northwestern University Compares for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

All 29 colleges reporting public relations, advertising, and applied communication earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1School of Visual Arts New York, NY$126,448$120,352#1$91,346
2Georgetown University Washington, DC$115,091$100,850#2$91,362
3George Washington University Washington, DC$101,932$89,319#5$73,569
4American University Washington, DC$97,932$85,814#6$63,727
5Northwestern University Evanston, IL$96,250$94,565#3$82,421
6Boston University Boston, MA$90,212$79,441#17$73,982
7Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY$90,060$85,718#7$70,802
8University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$89,760$81,676#13$50,634
9California Baptist University Riverside, CA$89,265$81,225#14$65,547
10Syracuse University Syracuse, NY$87,500$83,282#9$62,662

Other Majors at Northwestern University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Business Administration, Management and Operations$244,399$224,402#4 of 861
Business/Commerce$240,637$188,890#2 of 75
Engineering$211,469$162,147#1 of 16
Computer Science$197,823—#7 of 48
Medical Clinical Sciences/Graduate Medical Studies$189,578$124,451#8 of 12
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$180,186$140,444#5 of 92
Community Organization and Advocacy$168,632$130,419#1 of 10
Information Science/Studies$141,026$131,093#10 of 71
Engineering-Related Fields$136,480$144,879#11 of 40
Medical Illustration and Informatics$132,068$112,816#3 of 27
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions$130,944$107,097#79 of 216
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians$129,403$93,115—
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs$126,571$96,837#1 of 7
Science Technologies/Technicians$125,048$83,471—
Communication and Media Studies$116,101$87,012#2 of 61
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$116,019$89,054#2 of 20
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences$110,591$99,283#5 of 19
Legal Professions and Studies$102,193$69,797#2 of 11
Public Administration$98,798$73,260#22 of 243
Biomedical/Medical Engineering$95,167$80,670#36 of 40
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions$85,999$47,186#11 of 211
Mechanical Engineering—$83,978—
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions$83,218$67,518#4 of 204
Public Health$82,202$66,859#86 of 201
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$82,178$58,537#3 of 165
Educational Administration and Supervision$78,655$60,945#108 of 453
Biotechnology—$75,972—
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$71,781$62,757#67 of 243
Journalism$70,715$46,346#14 of 22
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management$69,411$47,523#7 of 21

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Northwestern University public relations, advertising, and applied communication graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $82,421 one year after graduating and $96,250 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Northwestern University rank for public relations, advertising, and applied communication?

Among 29 colleges reporting earnings for public relations, advertising, and applied communication graduates, Northwestern University ranks #5 by median pay four years after graduation, and #3 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is public relations, advertising, and applied communication at Northwestern University worth it?

Its graduates earn 20% more than the national median for public relations, advertising, and applied communication ($80,125), and the median federal debt at graduation is $54,057.

← All data for Northwestern University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.