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 University of Wisconsin - Madison. We’ve pulled together some essential information you should know about the bachelor’s degree program in communications, including how many students graduate each year, the ethnic diversity of these 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.
Each year, we produce a number of different types of college rankings to help students decide which school is the best fit for them. In College Factual's most recent rankings for the best schools for communications majors, UW - Madison came in at #25. This puts it in the top 5% of the country in this field of study. It is also ranked #1 in Wisconsin.
Here are some of the other rankings for UW - Madison.
In 2019-2020, the average part-time undergraduate tuition at UW - Madison was $1,548 per credit hour for out-of-state students. The average for in-state students was $386 per credit hour. The following table shows the average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $9,273 | $37,161 |
| Fees | $1,469 | $1,469 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,150 | $1,150 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $12,200 | $12,200 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $3,066 | $3,066 |
Learn more about UW - Madison tuition and fees.
One factor in determining the overall cost in a degree is to consider how much in student loans you’ll have to take out. Students who received their bachelor’s degree at UW - Madison in Communications walked away with an average of $23,250 in student debt. That is 5% lower than the national average of $24,445.
The median early career salary of communications students who receive their bachelor’s degree from UW - Madison is $37,028 per year. That is 17% higher than the national average of $31,626.
Online degrees for the UW - Madison communications bachelor’s degree program are not available at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the UW - Madison Online Learning page.
Women made up around 61.4% of the communications students who took home a bachelor’s degree in 2019-2020. This is less than the nationwide number of 64.0%.
Of those graduates who received a bachelor’s degree in communications at UW - Madison in 2019-2020, 17.9% were racial-ethnic minorities*. This is lower than the nationwide number of 36%.
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 14 |
| Black or African American | 5 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 15 |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 1 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 1 |
| White | 204 |
| International Students | 34 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 16 |
Communication & Media Studies students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.
| Focus Area | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 290 |
You may also be interested in one of these majors related to communication and media studies.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 233 |
*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.
