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2024 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region

59 Colleges in the Plains States Region
6,903 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$36,107 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 59 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 6,903 degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School

Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region The communication & journalism program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Communication & Journalism rankings. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Communication & Journalism 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 in the Plains States Region 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 Plains States Region

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.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
425 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
12.9% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you want to pursue a degree in communication & journalism. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were about 424.99999999999994 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 major at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities earn $6,583 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
726 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$43,298 Median Starting Salary

University of Missouri - Columbia is a great option for students interested in a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the medium-sized city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 726 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at University of Missouri - Columbia make $7,191 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Missouri - Columbia

3
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
459 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$36,648 Median Starting Salary

University of Kansas is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 459 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communication & journalism program report average early career wages of $36,648.

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

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
386 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$43,331 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were roughly 386 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Iowa receive $7,224 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
418 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
3.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 418 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent data year. After graduating, communication & journalism degree recipients generally earn around $38,008 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

6
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
26.5% Growth in Graduates

Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Des Moines. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.

There were about 136 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Drake University earn $2,437 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
283 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,593 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the small city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were about 283 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communication & journalism program make around $37,593 for their early career.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Iowa State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
141 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
3.5% Growth in Graduates

Minnesota State Mankato is a large public university located in the city of Mankato. This university ranks 13th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 141 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Minnesota State Mankato in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato make $3,176 more than the typical communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Minnesota State University - Mankato

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$38,632 Median Starting Salary
$26,959 Median Student Debt

Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead. This college ranks 20th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were about 26 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Concordia College Moorhead in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from Concordia College at Moorhead get an earnings boost of approximately $2,525 over the average income of communication & journalism majors.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Concordia College at Moorhead

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$36,050 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 24th out of 52 schools for overall quality in the state of Minnesota.

There were roughly 108 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at St. Cloud State University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communication & journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $36,050.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Saint Cloud State University

Best Communication & Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & journalism colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 990
Minnesota 38 1,399
Iowa 38 1,224
South Dakota 38 203
Missouri 38 1,948
Nebraska 36 697
North Dakota 35 171

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 3,456
Journalism 1,644
Public Relations & Advertising 1,308
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 308
Communication & Journalism (Other) 165
Publishing 22

View All Communication & Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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