by our College Data Analytics TeamThe main focus area for this major is Speech Communication. 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 Iowa State University. Here, you’ll find out more about the major bachelor’s degree program in communications, including such details as the number of graduates, diversity of students, and more.
You can jump to any section of this page using the links below:
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.
If you're having trouble deciding which school is best for you, you may want to check out our many college rankings. Iowa State was ranked #109 on College Factual's most recent list of the best schools for communications majors. This puts the bachelor's program at the school solidly in the top 15% of all colleges and universities in the country. It is also ranked #3 in Iowa.
Here are some of the other rankings for Iowa State.
During the 2019-2020 academic year, part-time undergraduate students at Iowa State paid an average of $968 per credit hour if they came to the school from out-of-state. In-state students paid a discounted rate of $336 per credit hour. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $8,042 | $23,230 |
| Fees | $1,274 | $1,274 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,001 | $1,001 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $9,193 | $9,193 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $2,430 | $2,430 |
Learn more about Iowa State 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 Iowa State took out an average of $24,814 in student loans. That is about the same as the national average of $24,445.
The median early career salary of communications students who receive their bachelor’s degree from Iowa State is $39,153 per year. That is 24% higher than the national average of $31,626.
Iowa State 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 Iowa State Online Learning page.
About 70.5% of the students who received their BA in communications in 2019-2020 were women. This is higher than the nationwide number of 64.0%.
Racial-ethnic minority graduates* made up 11.5% of the communications bachelor’s degrees at Iowa State in 2019-2020. This is lower than the nationwide number of 36%.
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 2 |
| Black or African American | 2 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 4 |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0 |
| White | 66 |
| International Students | 0 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 4 |
Communication & Media Studies students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.
| Focus Area | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 78 |
You may also be interested in one of these majors related to communication and media studies.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 77 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 130 |
*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.
