Prior Lake, Minnesota has 5 accredited schools offering public relations programs, with tuition ranging from $25,600 to $37,239 per year for indexed programs. Prior Lake has a population of about 27,832. Median household income is $130,278 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 51.5% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area, the top-earning public relations-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $141,360 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Public Relations Schools to Prior Lake
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer public relations programs near Prior Lake, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Prior Lake 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 Prior Lake.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$73,739
Avg net price
$29,155/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 87%
- Programs offered: 109
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
83%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$69,020
Avg net price
$16,778/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 250
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
79%
Graduation rate
52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$59,871
Avg net price
$18,462/yr
TuitionIn‑state$25,600
Out‑of‑state$25,600
Key stats- Retention rate: 67%
- Programs offered: 65
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,705
Avg net price
$16,863/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 70%
- Programs offered: 62
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$50,755
Avg net price
$27,705/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 84%
- Programs offered: 57
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
39%
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$46,110
Avg net price
$20,148/yr
TuitionIn‑state$31,360
Out‑of‑state$31,360
Key stats- Retention rate: 76%
- Programs offered: 32
Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$56,922
Avg net price
$19,139/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 80%
- Programs offered: 142
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
51%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$55,813
Avg net price
$13,529/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 69%
- Programs offered: 123
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Minnesota schools on the Minnesota public relations page.
Public Relations Wages Near Prior Lake
Prior Lake is part of the Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI metro area (BLS area code 33460). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Minnesota statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Public Relations Specialist | $73,780 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $70,401 |
| Public Relations Manager | $141,360 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $134,885 |
| News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist | $49,680 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $47,405 |
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.
Prior Lake at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 27,832 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $130,278 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 51.5% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 104.8 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Prior Lake-Area Cities With Public Relations Programs
- Shakopee, MN – 3.8 mi away (40,610 pop)
- Savage, MN – 4.3 mi away (30,807 pop)
- Burnsville, MN – 8.4 mi away (61,290 pop)
- Eden Prairie, MN – 8.6 mi away (63,914 pop)
- Bloomington, MN – 9.6 mi away (85,319 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited public relations schools are near Prior Lake, MN?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering public relations programs near Prior Lake. The closest is University of St Thomas in Saint Paul, MN (19.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Northwestern-St Paul (25.2 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying public relations roles near Prior Lake?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying public relations-related roles near Prior Lake are: Public Relations Manager ($141,360), Public Relations Specialist ($73,780), News Analyst, Reporter, and Journalist ($49,680). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Minnesota statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Shakopee instead of Prior Lake?
Shakopee, MN is 3.8 miles from Prior Lake 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.
Is Prior Lake an affordable place to study public relations?
Prior Lake’s median household income of $130,278 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Prior Lake while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Minnesota public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
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 Prior Lake
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Prior Lake:
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- Pharmacy Technician programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Health Science programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Occupational Safety and Health programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Entrepreneurship programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Interior Design programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Photography programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Sustainability Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Behavioral Health Science programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Mental Health Counseling programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Substance Abuse Counseling programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Journalism programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Communication Disorders programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Speech Pathology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Technical Communication programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Professional Writing programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Strategic Communications programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Business Development programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Construction Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Economics programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Financial Technology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Forensic Accounting programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Health Information Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Hospitality Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- International Business programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Organizational Leadership programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Management Information Systems programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Nonprofit Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Operations Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Public Administration programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Real Estate programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Recreation Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Retail Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Risk Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Statistics programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Taxation programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Corrections programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Crime Analysis programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Criminal Justice Administration programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Criminology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Cybercrime programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Emergency Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Fire Science programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Forensic Science programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Legal Services programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Legal Studies programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Paralegal programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Security Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Cloud Computing programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Computer Engineering programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Innovation programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Mobile App Development programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Software Development programs in Prior Lake, MN
- User Experience programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Web Development programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Artificial Intelligence programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Machine Learning programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Supply Chain Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Data Analytics programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Public Health programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Human Resources programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Project Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Special Education programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Homeland Security programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Marketing programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Finance programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Kinesiology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Sports Management programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Early Childhood Education programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Elementary Education programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Biology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Communications programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Graphic Design programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Human Services programs in Prior Lake, MN
- MBA programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Criminal Justice programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Nursing programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Business Administration programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Computer Science programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Psychology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Education programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Engineering programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Technology programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Liberal Arts programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Healthcare programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Cybersecurity programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Accounting programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Healthcare Administration programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Social Work programs in Prior Lake, MN
- Counseling programs in Prior Lake, MN
Data verified: August 31, 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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