Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Public Relations Specialists
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Rio Salado College, Arizona State, Pima Community College, and Mesa Community College.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Arizona State, Northern Arizona University, and University of Arizona.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Dine College, South Mountain Community College, Arizona Western, and Cochise.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Yavapai College, Central Arizona, Mohave Community College, and Prescott College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Prescott College, University of Arizona, Northern Arizona University, and Rio Salado College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Northern Arizona University, Dine College, University of Arizona, and Arizona State.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Prescott College.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Dine College, Prescott College, University of Arizona, and Northern Arizona University.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
Sort Reviews By:Sorting by: • Show All Details • Hide All Details
Arizona State University • Tempe, AZ
Studying Journalism And Mass Communications (completion in 2011)
• 7/18/2011
"I loved the school and I think the education was amazing. The career prospects could be better, but I think that may be due to our economy. I would recommend the school to anyone."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Like I said, it is a top notch school for this. They have programs and teachers that are catering specifically to this. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It is excellent and it is growing. We are considered by many publications to already be one of the best programs, and the dean is fantastic. |
| Program Quality | 10 | ASU has an incredible Journalism program and one of the focus areas is Public Relations. We consistently had some of the best teaching and lecturers in the field coming to our school. It was an amazing education. |
| Instruction | 10 | Like I said, the teachers and visiting professionals were all at the top of their fields. Also, as part of the program we were required to do internships for credit to graduate. This meant every single one of our resumes coming out of school were stellar compared to most. |
| How Difficult | 7 | Some of the classes were extremely difficult, however most were normal college level classes. The classes were much less about tests and more about projects. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Our program had some book learning, but it was more, “Here's how to do it, now do it.” Our grades were almost all project based, which was great. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 6 | There are so many people at ASU that it can be hard to schedule classes. Also, my classes were across two campuses, so that made it difficult, too. But it is improving. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | They completed a brand new school just for journalism a few years back. The facilities are state of the art with the best new technology. |
| Social Life | 7 | there are 60,000 kids there so everyone fits in somewhere. There are so many different clubs and organizations that it is easy to fit in. |
| Placement Services | 7 | Like I said, the internships really make our resumes stand out. This helps with the job prospects. However, with this economy, jobs are hard to come by, so it is hard to tell. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | So far there seems to be quite a few strong alumni I have encountered, however there should be many more. I think this is the next step the school needs to take to make it more prestigious. |
University Of Arizona • Tucson, AZ
Studying BA In Media Arts & BA In Communications. MBA In Business Communications (completion in 1997)
• 7/17/2011
"No complaints. Very good school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Great undergrad and graduate programs and lots of stuff to do outside of classwork. One of the best times of my life. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | The newsletter is very good with updates on our school and program, but without data it is hard to say. The U of A doesn't provide the info in the letters. |
| Program Quality | 7 | Depending on the program, the curriculum is very good and thought productive. Definitely challenging for those who choose the communications program. |
| Instruction | 7 | The professors are very knowledgeable. I would however like to see more career emphasis and real life experiences applied, though. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The curriculum is challenging, but it comes down to how well the students apply themselves. It definitely varies between the undergrad level and master's program level. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It varied based on the classes you had. Some classes were very stern on book learning, while other were more hands-on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Options were always available to choose from. They provided great options for every student enrolled. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | They were very good for that time. I know for a fact now the communications facilities are state of the art. |
| Social Life | 10 | It was great as an undergraduate. When I entered the graduate program, it was completely different. It was very course focused and study driven which allowed very little time to go out and have a social life like that of an undergrad. |
| Placement Services | 2 | This service was not readily available for me when I was in school. Only certain programs had them in place while I was there. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | It varies depending on what city you live in. AZ has different alumni groups for programs and an overall alumni group here in the Phoenix area. |
ASU • Tempe, AZ
Studying Journalism (completion in 2010)
• 10/14/2011
"It was a great experience. I wish I was still at school."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | It is not rewarding for creative people. It is very demanding and robs you of dignity. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | It is considered one of the best schools in country. They host many important events. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The Cronkite School is wonderful. Great teachers and facilities. |
| Instruction | 7 | There are many highly-qualified instructors at the school. I believe it offers a top-notch curriculum. |
| How Difficult | 6 | There were many arduous classes. The toughest classes seemed to all come at the same time. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | More hands on approach given the material. Much of the class took place in the field. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | They offer summer classes. They also offer many times to take classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | They provided me with consistent instruction. They gave help when asked. |
| Social Life | 8 | It is considered one of the top party schools in the country. There were many things to do. |
| Placement Services | 7 | They helped me find my job. They have a high rate of success. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | Alumni were excellent. They spent much time at the school. |
University Of Phoenix • Phoenix, AZ
Studying Communications/Media (completion in 2011)
• 3/6/2012
"Overall, I was very satisfied with my school. At graduation I felt accomplished and motivated to move on to the next phases of my life."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I recommend my school to everyone who wants to pursue a career in Public Relations, as well as any other field. Everyone should want to become a Phoenix. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The University of Phoenix has a great communications program. However, any education is only as good as the student receiving it. |
| Program Quality | 10 | I think my school provided me with tools I needed to become a Public Relations Coordinator. The curriculum was presented with a real world approach. |
| Instruction | 10 | My instructors, knew exactly what they were talking about. This very much so gave me the advantage that I needed. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I think this program was really challenging. I think this is what gave me the skills I have accrued throughout my academic career. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | In my program, it was a mix of book learning and hands on learning. I think in reality, knowing how to learn in both ways is equally important. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | My class schedule was very flexible. I worked a full time job and still had time to finish every assignment. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | My school's library was outstanding. I had every resource I needed, including the CWE (Center for Writing Excellence). |
| Social Life | 9 | The interaction between students was great. There were all kinds of organizations that allowed networking throughout our school. |
| Placement Services | 8 | The University of Phoenix has a great job placement program. I found a job within six months of graduation. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | The alumni network is excellent. I would love to see more involvement within the classroom. |
Online Course Finder
Find the path to your
education in 3 easy steps.