Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Arkansas State University

Arkansas State's communications program outpaces both state and national expectations for entry-level earnings while keeping debt manageable. At $40,812 in first-year earnings, graduates earn about $5,600 more than the typical Arkansas communications graduate and roughly $1,000 above the national median. Among the six Arkansas schools offering this degree, A-State ranks in the 60th percentile—solidly competitive with University of Central Arkansas despite similar debt levels. The 0.57 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates carry roughly seven months' salary in loans, a reasonable burden for a communications career.

The caveat here is the small sample size—fewer than 30 graduates reported data, so one exceptional (or struggling) cohort could skew these numbers. That said, the pattern makes sense: A-State serves a significant population of first-generation college students (37% receive Pell grants) and maintains reasonable accessibility (70% admission rate), yet its communications program appears to prepare graduates for decent-paying first jobs in advertising, PR, or corporate communications roles.

For Arkansas families, this represents solid value—competitive earnings within the state at a lower cost than private alternatives like Harding. Just recognize these numbers may shift with larger samples, and communications careers often require building experience over several years before seeing significant salary growth.