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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in District of Columbia

5 Colleges in District of Columbia
181 Communications Degrees Awarded
$41,946 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in District of Columbia to determine which ones were the best for communication & media studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 181 degrees in communication & media studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia 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 District of Columbia

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.

Top District of Columbia Schools in Communications

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Communications Degrees Awarded
$45,521 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in communication & media studies needs to take a look at George Washington University. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 35 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from George Washington University earn a boost of approximately $3,575 over the average income of communication & media studies graduates.

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

2
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Communications Degrees Awarded
$51,056 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat American University if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #129 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means The American University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 93 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from American University receive $9,110 more than the average communications graduate.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32.0% Growth in Graduates
$43,671 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in communication & media studies needs to check out Catholic University of America. Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 5th out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 25 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at CUA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $43,671.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Catholic University of America

4
Gallaudet crest
Gallaudet University
Washington, DC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5.9% Growth in Graduates
$25,117 Median Starting Salary

Gallaudet University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of Washington, Gallaudet is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 4th out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were approximately 17 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Gallaudet in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communications program earn around $25,117 in the first couple years of their career.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$35,254 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Washington, Trinity College is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 8th out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were about 7 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Trinity College in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communications program make about $35,254 for their early career.

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Pennsylvania3342,216
New York3334,476
Maryland2791,272
New Jersey2731,538
Delaware175239

View All Rankings >

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

Communications Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies121
Communications35
Speech Communication21
Other Communication & Media Studies4

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Communications

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising522
Journalism166
Communication & Journalism (Other)122
Radio, Television & Digital Communication56
Publishing48

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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