Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY · Bachelor's Degree · about 68 graduates a year

$35,534
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$53,839
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$63,560
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#149 of 178
Rank by pay
#112 of 178
Rank, wage-adjusted
$25,000
Median federal debt

Western Kentucky University graduates in public relations, advertising, and applied communication earn 15% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 46% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Western Kentucky University Compares for Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication

All 178 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
1Syracuse University Syracuse, NY$90,535$86,171#3$54,934
2Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX$89,330$90,822#1$51,828
3University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA$87,946$80,025#11$50,041
4George Washington University Washington, DC$85,459$74,884#27—
5University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL$83,451$81,990#8$48,063
6University of Miami Coral Gables, FL$82,999$88,342#2$43,917
7Pepperdine University Malibu, CA$81,417$74,084#28$45,988
8University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA$81,285$73,964#31$37,856
9Brigham Young University Provo, UT$80,841$76,618#21$51,436
10The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX$80,221$81,561#9$47,972
…
146Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR$54,196$63,865#90$40,812
147Wingate University Wingate, NC$54,129$58,088#130$40,438
148Widener University Chester, PA$53,906$54,823#155—
149Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY$53,839$60,962#112$35,534
150University of Scranton Scranton, PA$53,762$54,676#156$35,568
151Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL$53,353$56,787#135$32,713
152Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA$53,240$61,629#107$36,004

Other Majors at Western Kentucky University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Mechanical Engineering$86,624$70,722#267 of 318
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians$86,033$60,675#17 of 51
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$85,772$74,205#251 of 258
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician$84,057$63,013#37 of 43
Civil Engineering$75,732$60,086#223 of 233
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$74,452$49,823#81 of 126
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$73,496$68,294#912 of 966
Computer and Information Sciences$73,300$48,863#363 of 459
Accounting and Related Services$71,274$50,104#450 of 796
Architectural Sciences and Technology$71,240$46,919#9 of 22
Finance and Financial Management Services$70,313$44,355#336 of 452
Management Information Systems and Services$68,333$64,252#140 of 166
Economics$68,051$53,857#292 of 368
International Relations and National Security Studies$64,710—#67 of 118
Marketing$60,222$42,478#388 of 516
Health and Medical Administrative Services$60,103$44,516#130 of 275
Business Administration, Management and Operations$59,362$44,498#817 of 1176
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions$57,958$47,974#71 of 76
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services$57,844—#123 of 215
Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences$57,271$42,045#86 of 156
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$54,396$25,858#275 of 610
Political Science and Government$54,333$23,294#449 of 565
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$53,921$24,967#147 of 225
Biology$52,487$29,945#610 of 841
Agriculture$51,065$38,804#29 of 43
Hospitality Administration/Management$50,712$29,492#100 of 137
Communication and Media Studies$50,392$33,955#434 of 660
Social Work$48,771$34,748#309 of 420
Journalism$47,661$35,050#156 of 187
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$46,583$35,746#361 of 476

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Graduates earn a median $35,534 one year after graduating and $53,839 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

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

Among 178 colleges reporting earnings for public relations, advertising, and applied communication graduates, Western Kentucky University ranks #149 by median pay four years after graduation, and #112 after adjusting for state wage levels.

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

Its graduates earn 15% less than the national median for public relations, advertising, and applied communication ($63,560), and the median federal debt at graduation is $25,000.

← All data for Western Kentucky 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.