College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Communication & Journalism Schools

666 Colleges in the United States
116,994 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$34,306 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in communication & journalism is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #11 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 666 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Communication & Journalism Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 116,994 degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School

Best Communication & Journalism Schools Your choice of communication & journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for communication & journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Communication & Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Bachelor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Master's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Communication & Journalism Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Journalism in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of communication & journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
831 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in communication & journalism needs to look into Northwestern University. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were roughly 831 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Northwestern University make $18,633 more than the average communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
999 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & journalism. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 999 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Southern California make $14,304 more than the average communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$50,120 Median Starting Salary

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for students pursuing a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #4 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were roughly 84 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Pennsylvania receive $15,814 more than the standard communication & journalism grad.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Pennsylvania

4
Georgetown crest
Georgetown University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
207 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
15.0% Growth in Graduates

Georgetown University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the large city of Washington, Georgetown is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgetown is a great university overall.

There were about 207 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Georgetown in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Georgetown University earn $42,492 more than the standard communication & journalism student.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Georgetown University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
260 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$45,761 Median Starting Salary

U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 260 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor make $11,455 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
482 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
48.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of New York, Columbia is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 482 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Columbia University in the City of New York receive $35,924 more than the standard communication & journalism student.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Columbia University in the City of New York

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
754 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$47,480 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 754 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison make $13,174 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$74,230 Median Starting Salary

Johns Hopkins is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Baltimore. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Johns Hopkins is a great university overall.

There were about 144 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism degree program at Johns Hopkins University earn $39,924 above the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Johns Hopkins University

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
605 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$48,501 Median Starting Salary

UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. This university ranks 2nd out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 605 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $14,195 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$44,071 Median Starting Salary

Cornell is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Ithaca. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great university overall.

There were approximately 97 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Cornell in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Cornell University make $9,765 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Cornell University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,305 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,249 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 1305 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,943 over the typical income of communication & journalism majors.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from The University of Texas at Austin

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
695 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
3.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 695 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from New York University earn a boost of approximately $13,887 above the typical earnings of communication & journalism majors.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from New York University

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
311 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 311 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at University of California - Berkeley make $9,515 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Berkeley

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,895 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 13th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 301 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of California - Davis make $4,589 more than the average communication & journalism student.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Davis

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
445 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. This university ranks 2nd out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 445 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Purdue University - Main Campus receive $18,793 more than the average communication & journalism grad.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$67,997 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #24 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 41 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Georgia Tech in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism degree program at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $33,691 more than the typical graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

17
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
601 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
20.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 10th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 601 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of about $6,748 over the average earnings of communication & journalism majors.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Santa Barbara

18
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$53,040 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 12th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 137 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Santa Clara University earn $18,734 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Santa Clara University

19
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
615 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$45,800 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 615 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $11,494 more than the average communication & journalism grad.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
362 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$42,690 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 362 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $8,383 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

21
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. This university ranks 8th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 287 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, communication & journalism degree recipients typically make around $34,173 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - San Diego

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
536 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
17.7% Growth in Graduates

UMCP is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of College Park. This university ranks 2nd out of 36 colleges for overall quality in the state of Maryland.

There were approximately 536 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UMCP in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at University of Maryland - College Park earn $5,714 more than the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Maryland - College Park

23
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. This university ranks 2nd out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 287 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism degree program at George Washington University make $15,674 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from George Washington University

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,023 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
0.1% Growth in Graduates

Boston U is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston. This university ranks 6th out of 63 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.

There were approximately 1023 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Boston University make $7,687 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Boston University

25
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
9.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 109 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were approximately 181 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Villanova in the most recent data year. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from Villanova University receive an earnings boost of around $7,854 above the average income of communication & journalism graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Villanova University

Rest of the Top 50 Best Communication & Journalism Schools

26
27
28
29
30
31
32

33
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL

34
35
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
36
37
38
39
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
40
41

42
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

43
44
45
46
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
47
48
49
50

Remaining Award Winners

This section shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Communication & Journalism Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 666 different United States communication & journalism schools we analyzed.

RankCollegeLocation
51University of UtahSalt Lake City, UT
52Bryant UniversitySmithfield, RI
53Savannah College of Art and DesignSavannah, GA
54University of ConnecticutStorrs, CT
55James Madison UniversityHarrisonburg, VA
56Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeBaton Rouge, LA
57University of DelawareNewark, DE
58Miami University - OxfordOxford, OH
59Northeastern UniversityBoston, MA
60University of Oklahoma Norman CampusNorman, OK
61The University of AlabamaTuscaloosa, AL
62University of DaytonDayton, OH
63University of OregonEugene, OR
64University of Nevada - Las VegasLas Vegas, NV
65American UniversityWashington, DC
66Drake UniversityDes Moines, IA
67Arizona State University - TempeTempe, AZ
68Texas Tech UniversityLubbock, TX
69San Francisco State UniversitySan Francisco, CA
70University of ArkansasFayetteville, AR
71Virginia TechBlacksburg, VA
72University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA
73Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
74Colorado State University - Fort CollinsFort Collins, CO
75Gonzaga UniversitySpokane, WA
76Marquette UniversityMilwaukee, WI
77Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
78Elon UniversityElon, NC
79Temple UniversityPhiladelphia, PA
80Brigham Young University - ProvoProvo, UT
81Emerson CollegeBoston, MA
82Fairfield UniversityFairfield, CT
83San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
84Fordham UniversityBronx, NY
85Florida State UniversityTallahassee, FL
86San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
87Iowa State UniversityAmes, IA
88Ohio University - Athens CampusAthens, OH
89University of KentuckyLexington, KY
90University of New Hampshire - Main CampusDurham, NH
91University of Cincinnati - Main CampusCincinnati, OH
92Arizona State University - SkysongScottsdale, AZ
93DePaul UniversityChicago, IL
94Chapman UniversityOrange, CA
95University of South Florida - Main CampusTampa, FL
96Denison UniversityGranville, OH
97Marist CollegePoughkeepsie, NY
98California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
99University at BuffaloBuffalo, NY

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Journalism Schools award.

RankCollegeLocation
100Minnesota State University - MankatoMankato, MN
101Bradley UniversityPeoria, IL
102Loyola University ChicagoChicago, IL
103Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN
104Towson UniversityTowson, MD
105Concordia College at MoorheadMoorhead, MN
106Fashion Institute of TechnologyNew York, NY
107DePauw UniversityGreencastle, IN
108California State University - SacramentoSacramento, CA
109Furman UniversityGreenville, SC
110Rowan UniversityGlassboro, NJ
111Rutgers University - New BrunswickNew Brunswick, NJ
112Lake Forest CollegeLake Forest, IL
113University of Wisconsin - MilwaukeeMilwaukee, WI
114University of Rhode IslandKingston, RI
115Clark UniversityWorcester, MA
116California State University - FullertonFullerton, CA
117Saint Norbert CollegeDe Pere, WI
118Samford UniversityBirmingham, AL
119University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL
120University of South Carolina - ColumbiaColumbia, SC
121Belmont UniversityNashville, TN
122Western Washington UniversityBellingham, WA
123Stony Brook UniversityStony Brook, NY
124Saint Cloud State UniversitySaint Cloud, MN
125Creighton UniversityOmaha, NE
126University of North TexasDenton, TX
127University of Northern IowaCedar Falls, IA
128University of South DakotaVermillion, SD
129University of Nevada - RenoReno, NV
129Emory UniversityAtlanta, GA
130Wheaton College IllinoisWheaton, IL
131University of California - IrvineIrvine, CA
132University of HoustonHouston, TX
133Florida International UniversityMiami, FL

Communication & Journalism by Region

View the Best Communication & Journalism Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies62,855
Public Relations & Advertising21,275
Radio, Television & Digital Communication18,286
Journalism12,911
Communication & Journalism (Other)1,349
Publishing318

View All Communication & Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options