Public Relations & Advertising at University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Public · Bachelor's Degree · Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
69
Optimistic
65
Base Case
58
Pessimistic
Earnings
$42,974/yr (9% vs median)
AI Risk
High (51% exposed)
Job Market
Very Large (161,400 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Public Relations & Advertising graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $740K | $480K | $308K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 14.6x | 9.5x | 6.1x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 5.3x | 3.4x | 2.2x |
| Viable Career Paths | 17 of 17 | 17 of 17 | 15 of 17 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 69 | 65 | 58 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$50,752
Out-of-state: $139,736
Median Debt at Graduation
$22,990
6.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$66,664
55% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Public Relations & Advertising graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 161,400 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human resources managers | $140,030 | 17,900 | +5.0% | 48% |
| Public relations managers | $138,520 | 6,600 | +5.0% | 55% |
| Training and development managers | $127,090 | 3,800 | +5.8% | 50% |
| Advertising and promotions managers | $126,960 | 2,100 | -2.2% | 48% |
| Fundraising managers | $123,480 | 3,600 | +4.2% | 56% |
| Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes | $96,310 | 2,200 | +8.7% | 54% |
| Technical writers | $91,670 | 4,500 | +0.9% | 70% |
| Communications teachers, postsecondary | $77,800 | 2,700 | +2.1% | 43% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Public Relations & Advertising at University of South Carolina-Columbia?
This program scores 65/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 69 (optimistic) to 58 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Public Relations & Advertising career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Public Relations & Advertising graduates retain 17 of 17 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $307,665 (pessimistic) to $739,771 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Public Relations & Advertising graduates?
The career paths mapped to Public Relations & Advertising have roughly 161,400 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a very large job market.
Is Public Relations & Advertising at University of South Carolina-Columbia worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 9.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.1x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.