2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 10,951 people earned their degree in communication and media studies, making the major the 74th most popular in the United States.

Across Illinois, there were 392 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 19 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 3 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree media studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 3 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

Edwardsville, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$9,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a fairly large school located in Edwardsville, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville are $9,300.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SIUE

#2

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$14,674 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Governors State University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s media studies degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

GSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Governors State University are $14,674, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at GSU

#3

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s media studies degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #0 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SIUC

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.

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