Master of Arts in Public Relations and Advertising

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You will lead and thrive in the rapidly expanding public relations industry because we prepare you to deliver more — more strategy, more content, more channels, more creativity, and more insights.

We will ensure you are ready to create integrated public relations campaigns that span paid, earned, shared and owned media types. You will learn to weave together storytelling with data intelligence while creating multi-platform content. You will hone your ability to use audience insight mining to inform and execute PR strategies. You will become adept at building influencer relations and advancing brand activations.

Led by our dynamic faculty in one of the world’s great media capitals, you will be empowered to shape your own career path while forging professional opportunities that can span business, marketing, advertising, entertainment, technology, healthcare, advocacy, and beyond.

By the numbers

school for studying public relationsCiting our innovative curriculum and ideal location in L.A., College Magazine ranks USC Annenberg as the foremost school for studying public relations.

Citing our innovative curriculum and ideal location in L.A., College Magazine ranks USC Annenberg as the foremost school for studying public relations.

100% %

of our Class of 2019 employed within 12 months of graduationOur recent graduates have gone on to distinguished careers with employers such as Live Nation, Warner Bros., Golin, TikTok, and Disney.

Our recent graduates have gone on to distinguished careers with employers such as Live Nation, Warner Bros., Golin, TikTok, and Disney.

80% %

of PR professionals and marketers believe the future is digital storytellingA recent study from USC’s Center for Public Relations found that crafting a compelling story and pushing it out to social channels is one of PR’s greatest opportunities.

A recent study from USC’s Center for Public Relations found that crafting a compelling story and pushing it out to social channels is one of PR’s greatest opportunities.

students per required courseOur students develop intellectual, professional and ethical depth as they engage with our expert faculty in small-class settings.

Our students develop intellectual, professional and ethical depth as they engage with our expert faculty in small-class settings.

Faculty, student and alumni work

Harnessing skills to advocate for representation

Samantha Balcaceres hopes to channel her skills, grown through her studies and work-world seasoning, to help organizations tell better, more-inclusive stories.

Politics, polarization and purpose

Fred Cook, director of the Center for Public Relations, explains and shares highlights from the The Polarization Index, the first-ever data science-based index tracking national political division as measured within social media conversations.

Dreaming of becoming a media trailblazer

Diversity in PR and Advertising Scholar Brijea Daniel is on a mission to make a major impact in the media: humanizing marginalized communities by representing them authentically in corporate brands.

Designing a future

Christine Alabastro guides company spokespeople to find their authentic voice.

A better news model

Su Jung Kim, assistant professor of journalism in the public relations program, studies how news organizations can use audience behavior data to understand why users renew or cancel their subscriptions.

Leap of faith

Facebook’s Director of Consumer Communications, Sona Iliffe-Moon ’05, shares her career journey and advice for students navigating their own professional paths.

Advance your audience insight and content creation skills

Our state-of-the-art Media Center and Digital Lounge allow you to gain hands-on experience while acquiring the advanced multimedia and analytical skills necessary to tell stories while measuring impact across platforms. Through the center’s Digital Media Analytics Desk, you can learn to monitor the social stream as well as how to collect and analyze data for real-time events, brand communication and advertising campaigns. The Digital Lounge offers a creative makerspace where you can build your technology and content creation skills, including Adobe Certification.

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