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 James Madison 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.
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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.
If you're having trouble deciding which school is best for you, you may want to check out our many college rankings. In College Factual's most recent rankings for the best schools for communications majors, JMU came in at #24. This puts it in the top 5% of the country in this field of study. It is also ranked #2 in Virginia.
Here are some of the other rankings for JMU.
In 2019-2020, the average part-time undergraduate tuition at JMU was $804 per credit hour for out-of-state students. The average for in-state students was $241 per credit hour. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $7,250 | $23,564 |
| Fees | $5,080 | $5,666 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,082 | $1,082 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $11,348 | $11,348 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $4,020 | $4,020 |
Learn more about JMU tuition and fees.
You may also want to consider how much in student loans you’ll need when thinking about the overall cost to attend a school. Communications students who received their bachelor’s degree at JMU took out an average of $20,500 in student loans. That is 16% lower than the national average of $24,445.
The median early career salary of communications students who receive their bachelor’s degree from JMU is $40,672 per year. That is 29% higher than the national average of $31,626.
JMU 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 JMU Online Learning page.
Of the students who received their bachelor’s degree in communications in 2019-2020, 70.5% of them were women. This is higher than the nationwide number of 64.0%.
Around 21.5% of communications bachelor’s degree recipients at JMU in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is lower than the nationwide number of 36%.
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 24 |
| Black or African American | 26 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 30 |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 1 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 2 |
| White | 336 |
| International Students | 5 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 27 |
Communication & Media Studies students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.
| Focus Area | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 451 |
*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.
