Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Missouri State University-Springfield

Missouri State's communications program produces graduates who earn more than 60% of their peers at other Missouri schools—a meaningful advantage for students planning to work in-state. Starting at $40,178 and climbing to $46,066 after four years, graduates here outpace both the state median ($37,993) and national average ($39,794), though they trail Webster University by a few thousand dollars.

The debt picture looks reasonable at $23,329, translating to a 0.58 ratio that means graduates owe about seven months' salary. That's lower than the national median debt for this field and should be manageable for most entry-level communicators. The 15% earnings growth over four years suggests graduates are gaining traction in their careers rather than plateauing early.

For a Missouri family considering communications programs, this represents solid value—particularly given the 91% admission rate makes it accessible to most applicants. Your child would enter a career where $40,000 starting salaries are typical, with debt levels that won't derail their twenties. Just understand that communications isn't a high-earning field overall; even the top performers nationally start around $42,000. If your student is passionate about PR or advertising and realistic about the salary trajectory, Missouri State positions them better than most in-state alternatives.