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 Nassau Community College, Empire State College, Suffolk County Community College, and Excelsior.
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 Empire State College, Long Island University-Riverhead, Farmingdale State College, and Mercy College.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Russell Sage College and The College of New Rochelle.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Medgar Evers College, Metropolitan College of New York, The College of New Rochelle, and York College.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Empire State College, Long Island University-Riverhead, Metropolitan College of New York, and The Graduate Center.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Columbia, The New School, NYU, and Hamilton College.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Hamilton College, Cazenovia College, Houghton College, and Skidmore College.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Columbia, Cornell, Hamilton College, and RPI.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Columbia, Cornell, Baruch College, and Purchase.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Hamilton College, Skidmore College, Cornell, and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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New York University • New York, NY
Studying Dramatic Literature (completion in 2007)
• 7/13/2011
"It was damn expensive, but I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. I don't think any other college offers a similar experience in this country."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | no | I think if you want to go into public relations, you could go to a much less expensive school and get better training. My public relations experience came almost completely from my internships, and were not what I learned at NYU. |
| Program Reputation | 7 | My major was not even particularly well-known at my school. However, I think NYU's reputation did lend a bit of prestige to my program's reputation. |
| Program Quality | 7 | The program did not offer any real guidance as far as selecting courses or post-graduation career advice, but the classes that I took within the program were terrific. The professors were so knowledgeable, and I learned so much. |
| Instruction | 10 | The instructors were amazing. I had Tony winners, professors who had received awards from the President, documentary writers, and other fabulous working professionals teaching my classes. |
| How Difficult | 5 | My program was challenging, but I don't think it was anything out of the ordinary. It was as challenging as the majority of the programs at NYU, I believe. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There was certainly a lot of classroom instruction, but there was also a lot of hands-on practice. You would learn the craft of something, but there was usually a hands-on application as well. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Once you were in your third and fourth year, you could schedule it so you were only taking classes three or four days a week. That made it very convenient for the PR internships I had. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | NYU had many programs set up to assist you. They had a writing center and an academic assistance program, but where they fell short was in the hands-off attitude of the academic advisors. |
| Social Life | 5 | NYU has no school spirit. I made a handful of great friends, but I don't think I had the college experience that so many people at other colleges had. |
| Placement Services | 4 | If you were a finance major at NYU, these services were terrific, but otherwise, you were SOL. If you majored in the arts, NYU alone over saturated the job market. |
| Alumni Network | 3 | My school's alumni focus is on New York City. Since I live in Chicago, I really don't reap a lot of the benefits of what they offer. |
Niagara University • Lewiston, NY
Studying Business - Strategic Marketing & Management (completion in 2010)
• 8/13/2011
"I loved pretty much everything about Niagara University - the beautiful campus setting, the caring professors, and the MBA program, which allowed me to attend on Saturdays while I worked a full-time schedule. I would absolutely recommend NU to anyone considering a private, Catholic university."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The professors were wonderful and always willing to help, and the environment at NU fosters positivity and growth for personal success. Everything I did at NU during my undergrad and graduate career there has given me the tools to succeed in my current position. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | Niagara University is one of the top 2 private schools in the Western New York area and has a great reputation for all graduate and undergrad programs. There is a certain degree of prestige having graduated from NU within the community around here and their MBA program is no different. |
| Program Quality | 10 | The MBA program at NU was excellent and I also attended there for my undergrad degree as well. The business program at Niagara was very well-thought out as far as the curriculum is concerned. |
| Instruction | 10 | The professors were great and always willing to help further the students' career goals and give direction. The networking opportunities I took part in through my professors' colleagues allowed me to gain the position I hold today. |
| How Difficult | 8 | Certain parts of the MBA program were more difficult than others. I have a strong background in sales and marketing, so the finance and accounting courses were a bit more tedious for me. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Pretty much everything done at NU was hands-on. In the MBA program, we were encouraged to simulate an actual work environment by working in teams, dressing up professionally for classes, giving speeches, and delegating tasks as if we were really in the workplace. Book learning was much less relied upon in the MBA program than it was in undergrad. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | I have never had a problem getting classes that fit into my schedule. I was able to take the entire MBA program on Saturdays from 9am-5pm and complete it in about a year and a half. There are plenty of course offerings available and professors are often willing to force students in when a class is necessary for graduation. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | NU has the top of the line technology, a financial lab, computers available for student-use, and a wide variety of professors, academic advisors, and other resources to ensure student success. The classrooms are all brand new and updated and NU is continually putting money into their services to support the students. |
| Social Life | 9 | NU was very closely aligned with their sports teams and often threw basketball and hockey parties that the entire school could attend in the Gallagher Center. There were always career mixers and networking opportunities available, in addition to sororities, pre-professional clubs, and hobby clubs for us to join. |
| Placement Services | 7 | Job placement rates tend to be a bit higher at NU than at other universities around this area. It can be a bit difficult to get a meeting with the career services director and have him get back to you within a reasonable amount of time, though. Going directly to a professor and asking for help finding a job is a much better idea in my opinion. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Niagara University has an excellent reputation for past success. There are always ongoing events to support alumni relations, a monthly alumni newsletter, and many current alumni are the ones responsible for giving major gifts/donations to the school, thus improving current students' chances at success. |
New York Institute Of Technology • Westbury, NY
Studying Communications: Advertising & Public Relations (completion in 2008)
• 9/22/2011
"I was very satisfied with my program at NYIT. I think the things I learned have really helped me succeed with my own business."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Yes - I would definitely recommend NYIT to anyone seeking a degree in Communications. I stand by the online program and would be a strong advocate for the school. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | The NYIT Communications program is one of the top online programs in Communications. They offer many sub concentrations as well - PR just happened to be the one I chose. |
| Program Quality | 8 | I obtained my masters degree from an online program. I think I would have gotten a little bit more from it had I been an on campus student. |
| Instruction | 8 | Again - I probably would have had more in depth discussions with professors had I gotten to interact with them on a personal level. |
| How Difficult | 9 | Even though I didn't attend a regular brick and mortar school, NYIT proved to be quite challenging course of study. They definitely prepared me for starting my own PR/Adv Firm. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | It was definitely a mixture of hands on and book learning. I think the mixture helps a student apply what they are learning into the real world. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 10 | Being an online program, NYIT was extremely flexible. I was able to work at my own pace and my own schedule as long as I had assignments in by Sunday of each week. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | Even though I was an online student we had full access to the same library that the on campus students had - just in a virtual environment. We were able to access journals, books and any resource we needed to help us be successful. |
| Social Life | 5 | Because I was an online student, I didn't get to participate in any social activities. That's one that I didn't like about my online learning experience. |
| Placement Services | 5 | Because I was an online student, I didn't have much access to any career services. I'm pretty sure the campus students did have access to those resources. |
| Alumni Network | 2 | I'm not aware of the alumni support with NYIT, mainly because I was an online student. |
Union College • Schenectady, NY
Studying Political Science (completion in 2000)
• 9/28/2011
"I loved my school - for the educational opportunities it provided me, as well as the social opportunities it provided me. I left college prepared to become a productive member of the workforce."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | Based on my experience, I would highly recommend my school. I feel it would prepare anyone interested in working in government for their career. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | My school is a liberal arts college, but was rather well-known for engineering. So while it is recognized as an excellent college, it's not particularly well-know for political science. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My school not only provided me with a solid theoretical education, but also the opportunity for several internships which gave me real-world experience. Class sizes were small, and professors were very attentive to my needs as a student. |
| Instruction | 9 | In my current job, I use all of the knowledge of American government I learned. As I mentioned earlier, internships gave me real-world experience and prepared me for successful employment. The only part of my education I don't really use is some of the historical knowledge and some of the political theory - though it was very useful to me in understanding how ideas about government have evolved over time. |
| How Difficult | 7 | My work load was about average - it never seemed to me to be a very large burden. However, I would rate the program as difficult because our final project was a senior thesis - a very intense program of self-study and research which resulted in a research paper and presentation. This was very time consuming and academically challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think it depends on the courses - in political science classes, there isn't much "hands on" work you can do, aside from internships. But in the geology courses I took, there were plenty of field trips and time in the lab. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 3 | My school worked on a trimester system - as such you took 3 courses a semester (sometimes 4) - with all classes offered from Monday-Friday, from 8 am to about 4 pm. At the time I went there, I was never aware of weekend or online options. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | My school had excellent facilities - beautiful buildings with state-of-the-art laboratories, an extensive library, and a very small student to professor ratio. In my largest class, there were only about 35 other students (for a freshman required class). In my smallest class, there were 6 other students (Russian language class). |
| Social Life | 9 | I was a part of the Greek system, so my sorority provided plenty of opportunities for community service and organized social events and parties. I also participated and watched many sporting events, and the college hosted plenty of educational speakers, visiting artists, and musical acts. |
| Placement Services | 5 | My school had a network for students to contact alumni, as I mentioned before, but not much else in terms of being REALLY helpful (I don't count career center access to computers for applying to jobs as meaningful assistance). As a graduate, I don't even know if any assistance is still available. |
| Alumni Network | 5 | When I was in school and applying for jobs, the alumni network seemed strong - there were plenty of alumni who took the time to talk to me and try to help me in my job search. However, as a graduate, I rarely interact with other alumni in a professional capacity. There is some outreach, but not much, and I don't have much interest in pursuing it. |
Lehman College • Bronx, NY
Studying Communications (completion in 2009)
• 10/31/2011
"The experience was unreal! It made me who I am in this business."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The school is excellent! It provides you with great help in finding a job afterwards! |
| Program Reputation | 8 | We are known as a communications/PR school. People come here for this! |
| Program Quality | 7 | My school's faculty works in the Public Relations field. They give me great knowledge about the industry. |
| Instruction | 9 | |
| How Difficult | 7 | My program was very difficult. We were constantly being pushed. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | We were always doing projects. We were constantly in the field. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 5 | Flexibility is good and helpful. Most people do not care if you show up or not. |
| Academic Facilities | 6 | facilities need updating. Please help! |
| Social Life | 8 | I made many good friends at school! I work with some of them now! |
| Placement Services | 10 | Alumni help with job placement through connections. We have job fairs constantly. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | Alumni work in the field and at the school. Alumni also visit often to speak with the students. |
Nazareth College • Pittsford, NY
Studying Management (completion in 2006)
• 12/20/2011
"I call upon lessons from the Master of Management program every day as a public relations specialist. The contacts I have made are proving to be extremely valuable."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | The Master of Management program at Nazareth is perfect for current professionals. It allows one to sharpen his or her skills while continuing to work. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | The Master of Management program is well known in our area among employees of major companies. However, it is overshadowed by larger, more established MBA programs. |
| Program Quality | 8 | The Master of Management program was sharply focused on qualitative issues in key areas, such as information management and financial management. Students like myself were exposed to stimulating ideas and challenged to think nontraditionally. |
| Instruction | 8 | The instructors in the Master of Management program were either faculty members with focused specialties or currently working professionals. Together, they provided an excellent cross-section of academic and pragmatic points of view. |
| How Difficult | 5 | The Master of Management program was a graduate-level program and required a lot of team project work. However, there were very few tests, so I feel the program could be made more challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The Master of Management program was geared toward real-life study and discussion. Most projects involved a real-time analysis of current problems in local organizations. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | The Master of Management program was geared toward adult, professional learners. All classes were offered in the evening, for about three hours at a time. |
| Academic Facilities | 7 | Nazareth offers an excellent library. The instructors in the program were always available via either e-mail or telephone to assist with projects. |
| Social Life | 8 | I made lifelong friendships through shared experiences with my classmates. I keep in touch with them and would not hesitate to call on any of them if I needed to. |
| Placement Services | I have not had occasion to seek job placement or career services assistance. | |
| Alumni Network | I have not had occasion to seek assistance from the Nazareth alumni network. |
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