Fact-check a program release before publishing
Match the new program's draft against its records, and get staff to confirm details before you proofread.
Career profile
Public Relations Specialist
Public relations specialists help an organization explain its work, answer reporters, and handle outside concerns.
One day's job could be turning a confusing announcement into a plain account, then helping the organization's spokesperson field the questions it stirs up.
A day in the life
Route a reporter's request
Sort out a journalist's question, gather the facts needed, and connect the reporter with the right spokesperson.
Prep a spokesperson for an interview
Play the interviewer with questions the spokesperson will likely get, and help them trade jargon for plain answers.
Spot a repeated misunderstanding
Scan news coverage and social media, and when one mix-up keeps appearing, rewrite the explanation and alert coworkers.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s degree typical
United States
$74,750 a year
United States · May 2025
2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s degree typicalWriting samples and internships can help.
Pay
$74,750 a yearNational median; equivalent to $35.94 an hour.
Outlook
2% projected growthSlower than average across occupations.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You enjoy making a confusing paragraph clear.
- You listen closely to questions before answering.
- You like checking details even when a deadline is close.
Things to weigh
- Deadlines and difficult conversations can arrive together; staying accurate under pressure matters.
- Several announcements or events may need attention at once, making the work stressful.
Where AI may help
Tools using artificial intelligence (AI) can suggest draft wording and summarize patterns in news coverage or social posts.
What people still lead
You check claims, judge tone, and decide whether a response addresses the actual concern. A fluent draft can still be wrong.
What we can’t predict yet
How much drafting and monitoring becomes automated remains unsettled; the balance between producing copy and reviewing software output may shift.
Pay in context
Earnings
Use national wages as a reference, not a prediction of your first offer.
The midpoint
The median was $74,750 a year, or $35.94 an hour. Half earned more and half earned less.
The spread
The 10th-percentile wage was $44,110; the 90th was $135,150. These mark positions in the wage distribution, not starting and senior salaries.
Workplace affects the comparison
Industry medians were $81,350 in government, excluding education and hospitals; $77,480 in advertising, public relations, and related services; and $66,220 in educational services.
Openings include replacements
About 23,000 openings are projected annually, mostly replacing people who change occupations or leave the workforce.
Getting started
Build a degree and portfolio
- What the route involves
- Study public relations, communications, social science, or business; develop writing samples and seek internship experience.
- What it can lead to
- A bachelor’s degree meets typical educational expectations; your portfolio demonstrates your work.
Use an employer’s experience alternative
- What the route involves
- Some college roles accept an associate degree or 60 semester units plus two years in technical writing or desktop publishing, or four years in writing or communications.
- What it can lead to
- This can meet the education-and-experience requirement for a communications specialist role supporting a college.
- What to check
- Requirements vary. The role supporting this route also requires a valid driver’s license.
Match your preparation to the qualifications an employer lists.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Become dependable
Learn the organization’s subject matter, deliver accurate drafts, and use your manager’s edits to improve the next release.
Take on a campaign
Plan connected messages for an audience and use its response to improve the next round.
Move toward management
With several years of related experience, you may pursue public relations management: setting communication strategy, reviewing materials, and supervising specialists.
Where you can work
College communications office
You may interview students and faculty, coordinate with photographers and designers, and help with recruitment events. The work connects campus life with prospective students and the community.
- Office
- Indoors
Government agency
You explain agency activities and officials’ work to the public, with government decisions supplying the subject matter.
- Office
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Choose a published school event announcement. Rewrite it as a short release for a local reporter, then ask a friend what questions remain. Mark any facts you would need to confirm. Notice whether you enjoy both shaping the message and investigating its gaps.
Stay safe: Keep this as a practice draft; don’t send it as an official school statement.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public Relations Specialists. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 27-3031.00 — Public Relations Specialists. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine. 27-3031.00 — Public Relations Specialists. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Citrus College. Communications Specialist — Position Description. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Public Relations Society of America. How to Use AI in Public Relations: Tools, Prompts, and Best Practices. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Public Relations and Fundraising Managers. Accessed 2026-10-03.