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 Grand Valley State, Macomb Community College, Henry Ford Community College, and Michigan State.
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 Davenport, Wayne State, University of Michigan-Flint, and Lake Superior State.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Andrews, University of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State, and Henry Ford Community College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Spring Arbor University, Bay Mills, Andrews, and Kellogg Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Andrews, Calvin, Baker College, and University of Michigan.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Adrian College, Albion, Alma, and Hope College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Michigan, Michigan Technological University, Albion, and Calvin.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Kuyper, University of Michigan, Ferris State, and Andrews.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Andrews, Calvin, Albion, and Hope College.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Central Michigan University • Mount Pleasant, MI
Studying Social Psychology (completion in 2007)
• 7/14/2011
"While the experience was great, the after effects were not so much. It cost an arm and a leg and I have got very little in return as far as career opportunities."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | I would recommend it over some others in the area, but not over more respected schools. If you are going to pay that much, you want to get something in return. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | It is not an ivy league school by any means. Respected within state, not heard of much else where. |
| Program Quality | 6 | The program was pretty easy. I was not really challenged at all. I chose the social psychology path to better understand the public and how to persuade and influence. Otherwise, the PR program was useless. |
| Instruction | 4 | It was not just at Central Michigan I found this. Courses taken elsewhere were the same. Professors are lazy and do not put in any effort. |
| How Difficult | 1 | College has become a joke. Grad inflation is rampant just to protect tenure. Not to mention students complain if they are not told exactly what is going to be on a test. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The only real hands on training came at the end of the program. A 400 hr internship was very helpful, but it was ridiculous that I had to pay for it. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | I never had a problem scheduling classes. They are heavy into online offerings now as well. |
| Academic Facilities | 5 | The school is not exactly the most funded. The library was nice, but the humanities building was a complete joke. |
| Social Life | 9 | Unfortunately, this was a deciding factor for me. It provided a big town feel, but a small town atmosphere where you could really know a ton of people. |
| Placement Services | 1 | As I mentioned before, this division should be completely abandoned. They do little more then direct you to the internet. |
| Alumni Network | 1 | I have had zero support from the network. And their career services might be the biggest joke in the world. |
Oakland University • Rochester, MI
Studying Journalism (completion in 2006)
• 9/27/2011
"I really enjoyed the time I spent at Oakland. I would really like to work there one day in their public relations/communications office. The program was somewhat small, so I really felt like I got to know the fellow students and the instructors."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | The school did alright to prepare me for broadcast reporting. But as far as public relations, which I do now, I didn't get any training. Everything I know now has been self-taught. I think the school should require students to at least take one class in the different types of journalism (print, broadcast, PR) so they can have a basic understanding. Perhaps if I had, I would have taken more and started in PR from the time I graduated. |
| Program Reputation | 5 | I haven't really heard bad things or good things about the program. But I also no longer live in the area where I went to school. |
| Program Quality | 8 | We had several instructors who worked in the industry and I really enjoyed that. However, the program was not very strong in cross-training the students. Either you went into print or broadcast journalism or public relations. |
| Instruction | 9 | Like I said previously, the instructors were professionals in the industry. I felt the things they taught me were better than any book, because they were working in the field. |
| How Difficult | 9 | I felt the curriculum was very demanding, with internships and portfolios required to graduate. I was challenged, but there was still people there to help me when I needed it. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I had three classes that were hands on: an internship at a television station, and two classes that produced the news for the college TV station. Other than that, everything was book learning. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | They did offer many different sections of popular classes, both during the day and in the evenings. I don't recall any of the classes I needed ever being taught on the weekends, however. I did take summer classes every year and had many to choose from. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | When I needed help, it wasn't hard to find it. Faculty were always in their offices during office hours. I had time to work on things outside of class if necessary. We had a television station that more than welcomed volunteers, too. |
| Social Life | 6 | I didn't go to any athletic games, but I did enjoy spending time with other students in the journalism major. It was nice to find a group of people that shared the same interests as me. I did go to a few parties, but fraternities and sororities were not a large part of the campus scene. |
| Placement Services | 3 | When I graduated, I had little help in finding a job. I asked several people but no one could give me an answer. Apart from turning in a portfolio of my work to graduate, I had no training on what to do to find a job. |
| Alumni Network | 6 | The Alumni Association occasionally reaches out to me through email or postcard, but all they ever want is money. I don't feel like they actually want me, just me to donate to the school. |
Central Michigan University • Mount Pleasant, MI
Studying Integrative Public Relations (completion in 2008)
• 10/16/2011
"I am glad I picked Central. I wouldn't take back my choice to attend. I learned a lot from Central and I don't know where I would be without that education."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Central is a great place for an education and to meet friends and make connections. The people you meet at Central can help to build your future. |
| Program Reputation | 9 | CMU is the only school in the state with an Integrative Public Relations program. The job placement from CMU is very high after graduation. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The school really does well to help you learn about all aspects of Public Relations, but we need more hands on training. We did have to get an internship before we could graduate, so that helped. |
| Instruction | 10 | I learned a lot while at CMU because of the instructors. They do prepare you to do well at your internship. I just wish the instructors would have been more hands-on in class. |
| How Difficult | 3 | I found it to be very easy. The work load is slim and the exams were very easy to study for. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I believe the program was extremely book learning oriented for the most part. Some professors tried teaching with a hands-on method, which I found more useful. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | Central offers evening classes, online classes, and summer classes. They want to accommodate all students. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | The professors are extremely accessible which is very important within the PR program. They are there to help us with class assignments, resumes, and even letters of recommendation. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school spirit was very high. There was also always something happening on campus. Most students get a very good social experience. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The job placement rate is very high. Career services is always at the students disposal. They are there for mock interviews, help with resumes, and of course to help students find jobs. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | CMU keeps you completely connected. It is very easy to feel in the loop and to give back to the school that gave me so much. |
Michigan State University • East Lansing, MI
Studying Communications (completion in 2000)
• 1/9/2012
"I'm very satisfied with my school. The only down-side is that it is very large and a student can get "lost." By that I mean you really have to be autonomous to know what you want and be willing to ask. Large freshman level class instructors aren't going to pay attention to your confused face and reach out to you. You have to go and get it, but it's there."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Of course! I think PR is a great field for now (in a troubled economy) and it will be even better when things improve. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I'm very happy with my school's and my program's reputation and I'm always proud to respond when asked where I studied. I'm sure there are schools that only permit students with high test scores, but for a state school, MSU is solid! |
| Program Quality | 9 | Michigan State is a great school and offers top notch professors and resources. I'd certainly recommend the program, despite ever increasing tuition rates. |
| Instruction | 10 | Although it has been more than 10 years since I've graduated, I can't think of a comm professor that I didn't like. They were quite personable and knowledgeable. |
| How Difficult | 7 | The communication program curriculum is fun when it is something you are good at. Of course the standards are high, but that's part of what makes it fun and challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | MSU provides a great mix. We had labs for basic courses, such as chemistry and highly interactive communication specific courses as well. There was a lot of dialogue in my classes. We didn't just listen to lectures. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | I'd have to say average. MSU is a traditional school with high standards, meaning they target students out of high school for their bachelor programs. The graduate programs cater more to a work life balance but even at that, they really cater more to the academia minded person. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | I loved MSU's resources. The Comm school produced great programs -- radio, TV, and they even had awesome speech and hearing labs. Our library system (where I worked for two years) is very extensive as well. |
| Social Life | 7 | Students at MSU are very friendly and not as cut throat competitive as other big 10 schools. The Comm program reflects that as well. There are countless opportunities to find your fit on on a campus of 40,000 students. Gosh, I miss that place! |
| Placement Services | Didn't use their placement services. I landed a job on my own that lead to another and yet another. | |
| Alumni Network | I'm not actually involved in the alumni network. They do send mailings but at this time, I'm just not involved. |
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