Amherst, Massachusetts has 40 accredited schools offering public relations programs, with tuition ranging from $5,338 to $60,965 per year for indexed programs. Amherst has a population of about 40,989. In the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area, the top-earning public relations-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $132,990 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Relations Schools to Amherst
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public relations programs near Amherst, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Amherst city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Amherst.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$74,895
Avg net price
$29,498/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 19
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
88%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$103,470
Avg net price
$43,071/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 24
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$49,705
Avg net price
$27,511/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 71%
- Programs offered: 33
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$101,817
Avg net price
$19,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
94%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,214
Avg net price
$39,998/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 96%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
88%
Graduation rate
50%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$54,400
Avg net price
$29,207/yr
TuitionIn‑state$47,970
Out‑of‑state$47,970
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 21
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
51%
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$62,832
Avg net price
$49,180/yr
TuitionIn‑state$57,056
Out‑of‑state$57,056
Key stats- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 15
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$83,238
Avg net price
$24,402/yr
TuitionIn‑state$68,102
Out‑of‑state$68,102
Key stats- Retention rate: 95%
- Programs offered: 85
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Massachusetts schools on the Massachusetts public relations page.
Public Relations Wages Near Amherst
Amherst is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metro area (BLS area code 11200). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Massachusetts statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $72,610 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $72,465 |
| Public Relations Manager | $132,990 | Amherst Town-Northampton, MA | $132,725 |
| News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist | N/A | MA statewide | – |
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Amherst at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 100.2 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Amherst-Area Cities With Public Relations Programs
- Northampton, MA – 9.0 mi away (28,483 pop)
- Holyoke, MA – 12.5 mi away (40,280 pop)
- Chicopee, MA – 13.4 mi away (55,991 pop)
- Springfield, MA – 17.3 mi away (625,300 pop)
- Westfield, MA – 20.2 mi away (41,552 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public relations schools are near Amherst, MA?
Our directory has 40 accredited schools offering public relations programs near Amherst. The closest is Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, MA (13.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Connecticut State Community College (42.1 miles). 10 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public relations roles near Amherst?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public relations-related roles near Amherst are: Public Relations Manager ($132,990), Public Relations Specialist ($72,610). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Massachusetts statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Northampton instead of Amherst?
Northampton, MA is 9.0 miles from Amherst and has its own set of local public relations programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Learn More About Public Relations Programs
Other Programs Available in Amherst
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Amherst:
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- Strategic Communications programs in Amherst, MA
- Business Development programs in Amherst, MA
- Construction Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Economics programs in Amherst, MA
- Financial Technology programs in Amherst, MA
- Forensic Accounting programs in Amherst, MA
- Health Information Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Hospitality Management programs in Amherst, MA
- International Business programs in Amherst, MA
- Organizational Leadership programs in Amherst, MA
- Management Information Systems programs in Amherst, MA
- Nonprofit Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Operations Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Public Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Real Estate programs in Amherst, MA
- Recreation Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Retail Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Risk Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Statistics programs in Amherst, MA
- Taxation programs in Amherst, MA
- Corrections programs in Amherst, MA
- Crime Analysis programs in Amherst, MA
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Criminology programs in Amherst, MA
- Cybercrime programs in Amherst, MA
- Emergency Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Fire Science programs in Amherst, MA
- Forensic Science programs in Amherst, MA
- Legal Services programs in Amherst, MA
- Legal Studies programs in Amherst, MA
- Paralegal programs in Amherst, MA
- Security Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Cloud Computing programs in Amherst, MA
- Computer Engineering programs in Amherst, MA
- Innovation programs in Amherst, MA
- Mobile App Development programs in Amherst, MA
- Software Development programs in Amherst, MA
- User Experience programs in Amherst, MA
- Web Development programs in Amherst, MA
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Amherst, MA
- Machine Learning programs in Amherst, MA
- Supply Chain Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Data Analytics programs in Amherst, MA
- Public Health programs in Amherst, MA
- Human Resources programs in Amherst, MA
- Project Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Special Education programs in Amherst, MA
- Homeland Security programs in Amherst, MA
- Marketing programs in Amherst, MA
- Finance programs in Amherst, MA
- Kinesiology programs in Amherst, MA
- Sports Management programs in Amherst, MA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Amherst, MA
- Elementary Education programs in Amherst, MA
- Biology programs in Amherst, MA
- Communications programs in Amherst, MA
- Graphic Design programs in Amherst, MA
- Human Services programs in Amherst, MA
- MBA programs in Amherst, MA
- Criminal Justice programs in Amherst, MA
- Nursing programs in Amherst, MA
- Business Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Computer Science programs in Amherst, MA
- Psychology programs in Amherst, MA
- Education programs in Amherst, MA
- Engineering programs in Amherst, MA
- Technology programs in Amherst, MA
- Liberal Arts programs in Amherst, MA
- Healthcare programs in Amherst, MA
- Cybersecurity programs in Amherst, MA
- Accounting programs in Amherst, MA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Amherst, MA
- Social Work programs in Amherst, MA
- Counseling programs in Amherst, MA
Data verified: August 11, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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