by our College Data Analytics TeamThe main focus area for this major is Communication & Media Studies. For more details on this concentration, visit its profile page.
Communication & Media Studies is a major offered under the communication and journalism program of study at American University. Here, you’ll find out more about the major bachelor’s degree program in communications, including such details as the number of graduates, ethnicity of students, related majors and concentrations, and more.
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Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
With an online bachelor's degree in communication you'll have the opportunity to pursue a multitude of career options. From journalism and social media, to public relations, advertising and mass media, earning your BA in communication will allow you to strategize and communicate your ideas.
In order to help students and their parents find the best school for them, we have created several different types of college rankings, which are updated yearly. The American University is in the top 10% of the country for communications. More specifically it was ranked #54 out of 787 schools by College Factual. It is also ranked #2 in District of Columbia.
Here are some of the other rankings for The American University.
Part-time undergraduates at The American University paid an average of $1,684 per credit hour in 2019-2020. This tuition was the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $50,542 | $50,542 |
| Fees | $819 | $819 |
| Books and Supplies | $800 | $800 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $16,196 | $16,196 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $1,009 | $1,009 |
Learn more about The American University tuition and fees.
One way to think about how much a school will cost is to look at how much in student loans that you have to take out to get your degree. Communications students who received their bachelor’s degree at The American University took out an average of $26,000 in student loans. That is 6% higher than the national average of $24,445.
communications who receive their bachelor’s degree from The American University make an average of $44,933 a year during the early days of their career. That is 42% higher than the national average of $31,626.
The American University does not offer an online option for its communications bachelor’s degree program at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the The American University Online Learning page.
Women made up around 67.6% of the communications students who took home a bachelor’s degree in 2019-2020. This is higher than the nationwide number of 64.0%.
Racial-ethnic minority graduates* made up 32.4% of the communications bachelor’s degrees at The American University in 2019-2020. This is lower than the nationwide number of 36%.
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 3 |
| Black or African American | 3 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 5 |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0 |
| White | 21 |
| International Students | 1 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 1 |
Communication & Media Studies students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.
| Focus Area | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 34 |
You may also be interested in one of these majors related to communication and media studies.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 45 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 105 |
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
