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 Western Kentucky 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.
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 bachelor's program at WKU was ranked #555 on College Factual's Best Schools for communications list. It is also ranked #9 in Kentucky.
Here are some of the other rankings for WKU.
In 2019-2020, the average part-time undergraduate tuition at WKU was $1,104 per credit hour for out-of-state students. The average for in-state students was $450 per credit hour. Information about average full-time undergraduate tuition and fees is shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $10,802 | $26,496 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $10,044 | $10,044 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $2,086 | $2,086 |
Learn more about WKU 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 WKU in Communications walked away with an average of $27,000 in student debt. That is 10% higher than the national average of $24,445.
The median early career salary of communications students who receive their bachelor’s degree from WKU is $33,993 per year. That is 7% higher than the national average of $31,626.
Online degrees for the WKU 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 WKU Online Learning page.
Of the students who received their bachelor’s degree in communications in 2019-2020, 64.5% of them were women. This is in the same ballpark of the nationwide number of 64.0%.
Racial-ethnic minority graduates* made up 32.3% of the communications bachelor’s degrees at WKU in 2019-2020. This is lower than the nationwide number of 36%.
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 0 |
| Black or African American | 8 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2 |
| Native American or Alaska Native | 0 |
| Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander | 0 |
| White | 19 |
| International Students | 2 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 0 |
Communication & Media Studies students may decide to major in one of the following focus areas.
| Focus Area | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 31 |
You may also be interested in one of these majors related to communication and media studies.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Journalism | 84 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 18 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 87 |
*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.
