College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
2,972 Communications Degrees Awarded
$32,153 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #10 in popularity, communication & media studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 19 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of communication & media studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,972 degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina The communications program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for communication & media studies 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 & Media Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 & Media Studies in North Carolina

The schools below may not offer all types of communications degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
668 Communications Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in communication & media studies has to take a look at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 668 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill receive an earnings boost of around $16,347 above the typical income of communication & media studies graduates.

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

2
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Communications Degrees Awarded
19.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in communication & media studies needs to check out Wake Forest University. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #128 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 156 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Wake Forest University earn $13,430 more than the typical communications grad.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Wake Forest University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$43,416 Median Starting Salary
$24,819 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Elon University if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #235 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 23 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Elon University earn $11,263 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Elon University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
345 Communications Degrees Awarded
6.7% Growth in Graduates

East Carolina University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. ECU is a very large public university located in the city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 345 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, communications degree recipients typically make an average of $33,632 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from East Carolina University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
235 Communications Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

NC State is a very large public university located in the city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 235 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the communications program earn around $33,358 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from North Carolina State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
310 Communications Degrees Awarded
$34,203 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 310 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte receive $2,050 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

7
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
82 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,293 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 82 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Appalachian State University make $4,140 more than the standard communications graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Appalachian State University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Communications Degrees Awarded
$29,926 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were approximately 210 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. After graduating, communications degree recipients generally earn an average of $29,926 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
195 Communications Degrees Awarded
$25,877 Median Starting Salary

UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #623 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were about 195 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make around $25,877 for their early career.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Communications Degrees Awarded
22.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 77 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Queens in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies major at Queens University of Charlotte make $8,896 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Queens University of Charlotte

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 795
Florida 282 2,964
Virginia 274 2,053
Tennessee 269 1,000
South Carolina 248 796
Kentucky 244 785
Louisiana 242 815
Mississippi 234 307
Arkansas 234 457
Alabama 233 967
West Virginia 207 214

View All Rankings >

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Communications Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,646
Communication & Media Studies 937
Communications 373
Other Communication & Media Studies 16

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 422
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 249
Journalism 133
Communication & Journalism (Other) 7

View All Communications 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