Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Miami Media School

Miami Media School's PR and advertising certificate produces earnings that land in the bottom 10% nationally at just $14,229 one year after graduation—barely above poverty wages for full-time work. Yet here's the twist: among Florida's three schools offering this certificate, it actually hits the state median for both earnings and debt. This tells you more about Florida's struggling PR certificate market than it does about this program's quality.

The $9,500 debt load ranks in the worst 10% nationally (where higher debt percentiles are bad news), and even that relatively modest amount creates a concerning financial picture when paired with near-poverty earnings. A graduate would need to dedicate nearly 70% of their first year's income to pay off the debt immediately—an impossible scenario that highlights how even "small" debt becomes crushing with such low earnings.

The program primarily serves students from lower-income families (68% receive Pell grants), making these outcomes particularly troubling. The small sample size means individual circumstances could be skewing these numbers significantly, but the pattern suggests this certificate isn't providing the economic foundation these students need. Parents should understand that undergraduate certificates in communications fields rarely command strong starting salaries, and this data suggests graduates may need additional education or different credentials to reach livable wages in Florida's market.