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 Pasadena City College, Berkeley City College, Moorpark College, and Riverside 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 San Diego State, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State L.A., and Cal State Stanislaus.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Mount St Mary's College, SBBC-Santa Maria, and Santa Barbara Business College.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Cal State L.A., CSU Dominguez Hills, Mount St Mary's College, and Cal State East Bay.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Palo Verde College, Lake Tahoe Community College, Mendocino College, and Monterey Peninsula College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, Stanford University, and Pepperdine University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Harvey Mudd, Pacific Union College, Claremont McKenna, and Stanford University.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Harvey Mudd, Stanford University, Claremont McKenna, and Southern Cal.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Stanford University, Claremont McKenna, Cal State San Bernardino, and Southern Cal.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Claremont McKenna, Stanford University, Harvey Mudd, and Pacific.
Working as a Public Relations Specialist in California
Public relations specialists advocate on behalf of businesses, hospitals, non-profit organizations, government agencies, universities and other organizations, fostering positive relationships with media, consumers, communities, employees, political groups and other "publics". Read a detailed Public Relations Specialist job description and schools overview.
State Requirements
- The State of California does not regulate public relations practices.
- Voluntary certification is available through the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).
Major Industries
Advertising companies hire most public relations specialists in California. Other industries include:
- Professional Organizations / Business Associations
- Management and Technical Consulting Services
- Companies and Enterprises
- Social Advocacy Organizations
- Colleges and Universities
- Computer Systems Design Services
- Grantmaking and Giving Services
- Religious Organizations
- Scientific Research and Development Services
- Radio and Television Broadcasting
- Individual and Family Services
- Motion Picture and Video Industries
- Newspaper, Book and Directory Publishers
- Insurance Carriers
Major Employers
A few representative major employers of public relations specialists in California include:
- CVS Pharmacy Distribution Center (Advertising Material Distribution Service)
- TBWA / CHIAT / DAY (Advertising Agency)
- PSI (Direct Mail Advertising)
- International Alliance (Labor Union)
- Rossmoor Homeowners Association (Business Association)
- University of California and Stanford (Universities)
- Amgen and Clorox Technical Center (Research and Development in Biotechnology)
- Walt Disney Company (Motion Picture and Video Production)
- NBC and CBS (Television Broadcasting)
- Clear Channel Radio (Radio Stations)
- Visiting Nurse Association (Social Advocacy Organization)
- Child Abuse Prevention Office (Child and Youth Services)
- Michael Lewis Bail Bonds (Direct Property and Casualty Insurer)
- Kaiser Permanente (Direct Health / Medical Insurance Carriers)
- Grimmway Personnel (Human Resource Consulting Service)
- Well Church at Oak Valley (Religious Organization)
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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University Of Southern California • Los Angeles, CA
Studying Global Communications (completion in 2008)
• 2/5/2012
"I feel like I learned a lot. I made a few connections that have helped me in my career, but nothing amazing."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | It would really depend on what people want out of their career. The school is so expensive that unless you have a lot of money or can get a scholarship it doesn't make sense to go in these economic times. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | People see USC Annenberg as a fairly prestigious program. USC itself has also done a lot in the past decade to raise the academic bar. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My degree from USC was very expensive and I was not given the career guidance I was hoping for to transition into other work other than PR. This so-called Trojan network has not done much for me. |
| Instruction | 7 | I had some really great classes, but the program itself was not structured well. There was also very little guidance from the faculty who were core to the program. |
| How Difficult | 6 | The curriculum was not particularly difficult. I took a couple Doctoral-level classes and those actually pushed me. I did learn new things, but I wouldn't say it was hard. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think overall, even my theoretical class had a hands-on component. I feel like I did have some pretty real-world experience. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Classes were held at a variety of times, including evenings and online. The only bummer is the variety of class types offered at those varying times. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | There's a computer lab where you can print for free, which is very nice. There are also several libraries. |
| Social Life | 9 | There's always something happening at USC. Free food is always a bonus too. Plus there is all that Trojan pride. If you want, you can get very involved even if you are a grad student. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Currently I still receive job board postings, which is nice. Though, the people who run the Annenberg career center are disorganized and unresponsive sometimes. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | There are Trojans everywhere and I can easily get involved in the network if I wanted. I was a grad student, so the experience is a little different. |
San Jose State University • San Jose, CA
Studying Public Relations (completion in 2008)
• 2/26/2012
"I had a great experience at my school, both socially and academically. Of course, there are always little things that one would change, but for the most part, I was very satisfied with my experience as a whole."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes, I would recommend my school to others pursuing my career. While there are lots of other "big name" schools out there, I did get a great education and a lot of doors opened to me by going to San Jose State. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The Department of Journalism and Mass Communication (Public Relations is a part of this department) is highly rated and recognized in the State of California. Many employers in the Silicon Valley look highly upon students graduating from this program. |
| Program Quality | 8 | My school provided me with the basic tools needed for public relations, like how to write a press release, media advisory, etc. However, I feel that the most valuable things that I've learned have come through internships and other job experience. |
| Instruction | 8 | While this varied from teacher to teacher, in general, the quality of instruction was good. Most of my teachers used current and real-life topics and cases for our studies, which I think was beneficial. |
| How Difficult | 6 | I don't think that the coursework was very academically challenging. Most of the work came easily to me. However, the course load was a decent amount. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The majority of my courses were completely hands on. One of the only books that I remember using during my PR courses was the AP Stylebook. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | As far as I know, San Jose State has many different evening, summer, and online options for students who are simultaneously working full-time jobs or have other obligations during the weekdays. While I did not take advantage of any of these options, I had some classmates who did. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | Library, media and computer resources were excellent. Professors were usually fairly accessible, and there were several groups and clubs pertaining to the program. |
| Social Life | 9 | My personal social experience at San Jose State was a good one. I was in a sorority, and I was very involved with several other clubs and organizations, so I was very socially active on campus. However, apart from Greek life and these organizations, social events and parties put on by the school were not well attended. |
| Placement Services | 6 | As far as job placement goes, I did not receive any help from my school. While our school does have a career center website where jobs are posted, every job and internship that I obtained while in school and afterwards came from my own job search and initiative. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | Being in the Silicon Valley, where PR is a big industry, especially in the technology sector, my school's alumni network is very large and supportive of the program. Our alumni network is used often for job searching and other networking between individuals, as well as between companies. |
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