Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Communication & Media Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

12 Ranked Colleges
203 Degrees Awarded
$22,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,073 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,543 and $26,465 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 203 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 12 colleges that offer a degree 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.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” 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 Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 12 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 83 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, 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 Northwestern are $56,567.

Full Northwestern University Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UIUC also took the #0 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UIUC

#9 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Springfield landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UIS did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Springfield are $16,757.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Springfield

#4

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Eastern Illinois University. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. Located in Charleston, Illinois, this medium-sized public school awarded 15 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k list, EIU has also earned the #5 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Illinois University are $20,761, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at EIU

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #5 spot on the list. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville is a public institution located in Edwardsville, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUE, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SIUE

#6 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 4 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

#7

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

With a ranking of #7, Governors State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. This small school is located in University Park, Illinois, and it awarded 10 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

GSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 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 some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Governors State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Normal, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 23 students in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Illinois State

Southern Illinois University Carbondale ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #4 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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale

#10

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. NIU is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University

#11 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University landed the #11 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Northeastern Illinois University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Northeastern Illinois University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 21 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k list, DePaul has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at DePaul

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools

Find Schools Near You