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2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (With Aid)

68 Ranked Colleges
497 Degrees Awarded
$31,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid

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 Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” ranking.

Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 68,079 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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.

At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 497 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,680 and $116,043 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” ranking looked at 68 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid.

Top 25 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (With Aid)

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Chapel Hill, North Carolina is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 11 students in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #10. Average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Communication & Media Studies Report

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida
#23 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Florida. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Florida is located in Gainesville, Florida and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 13 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #23 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Florida Communication & Media Studies Report

#22 in overall quality

Out of the 68 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. UW Seattle is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree communications students with aid list, UW Seattle has also earned the #22 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 17 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UIUC, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” 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.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communication & Media Studies Report

#5

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#13 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Purdue University - Main Campus. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Purdue is a large school located in West Lafayette, Indiana that handed out 14 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree communications students with aid list, Purdue has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Purdue University - Main Campus

University of Wisconsin - Madison landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 15 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW - Madison, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Wisconsin - Madison are $25,523, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Wisconsin - Madison

#7

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana

With a ranking of #7, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

IU Bloomington also took the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at IU Bloomington are $33,338.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington

#9 in overall quality

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

U-M also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #9. Average graduate tuition and fees at U-M are $49,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full U-M Communication & Media Studies Report

#9

Stanford University

Stanford, California
#7 in overall quality

Stanford University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #9. Stanford is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our doctor’s degree communications students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University

#10

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
#1 in overall quality

University of Pennsylvania landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Pennsylvania is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 13 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UPenn also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Pennsylvania are $41,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Pennsylvania

University of South Florida - Main Campus ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. Tampa, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USF Tampa are $21,126.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#12

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Tallahassee, Florida, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State University are $26,707.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Florida State University

#13

University of Maryland - College Park

College Park, Maryland
#14 in overall quality

University of Maryland - College Park ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. University of Maryland - College Park is located in College Park, Maryland and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UMCP did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMCP are $30,885, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Maryland - College Park

#14

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, Utah

University of Utah landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. U of U is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Utah are $24,695.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Utah

#15

Michigan State University

East Lansing, Michigan
#12 in overall quality

Michigan State University landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Michigan State is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 14 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Michigan State also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Michigan State are $37,056, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Michigan State University Communication & Media Studies Report

Arizona State University - Tempe landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Tempe, Arizona, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at ASU - Tempe, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at ASU - Tempe are $27,048, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

#17

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Santa Barbara is a public institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCSB Communication & Media Studies Report

University of California - San Diego landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSD is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UCSD

#19

University of Georgia

Athens, Georgia

University of Georgia landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Athens, Georgia, this large public school handed out 10 degrees to qualified doctorate’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UGA also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #20. Average graduate tuition and fees at UGA are $27,476, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Georgia Communication & Media Studies Report

#8 in overall quality

Columbia University in the City of New York did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in New York, New York. The school has a large population, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Columbia also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #8. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia are $51,194.

Full Columbia Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #21, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. UC Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UC Davis

#22

West Virginia University

Morgantown, West Virginia

West Virginia University landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. Morgantown, West Virginia is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at West Virginia University are $26,154, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at West Virginia University

With a ranking of #23, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. North Dakota State University is a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University are $11,589, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Dakota State University

#24

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

With a ranking of #25, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate For Those Getting Aid list. UIC is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UIC

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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.

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