UNC Charlotte Public Relations and Advertising (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- Public university
- Charlotte, NC
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
UNC Charlotte public relations and advertising graduates earn about what public relations and advertising graduates earn nationally, $38,190 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $19,500 in federal loans, less than at 91% of public relations and advertising programs in the country. Strong value, but not one of the highest-paying public relations and advertising degrees in North Carolina.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all public relations and advertising bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina public relations and advertising program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.
Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $207 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
74% of graduates (17 of 23) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Charlotte area are about 3% below the national average, so a $38,190 salary here buys what about $39,230 buys in a typical US city.
Careers this field leads to
These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to public relations and advertising, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Training and Development Specialists
$65,250Median pay in North Carolina. 20,220 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 11% from 2025 to 2035, with about 46,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Public Relations Specialists
$67,230Median pay in North Carolina. 9,910 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Human Resources Managers
$142,990Median pay in North Carolina. 6,480 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 16,800 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Fundraisers
$66,100Median pay in North Carolina. 3,700 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About UNC Charlotte
Public Relations and Advertising ranks 32nd of 55 bachelor's programs at UNC Charlotte by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,445), Electrical Engineering ($72,167), and Computer Engineering ($71,117).
Other public relations and advertising bachelor's programs near Charlotte
Common questions
The median graduate earns $38,190 one year after graduating. The median across public relations and advertising bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $38,190.
The median federal loan balance is $19,500, which ranks the lowest of 5 public relations and advertising bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $207 a month over 10 years.
On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 62%.
Most do. 74% (17 of 23) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.
About this data
- Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
- Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
- Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
- Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
- Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
- School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the public relations and advertising program.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024