2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

Across the Southwest region, there were 6,313 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,423 and $24,273 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 29 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,970 and $95,025 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region” ranking analyzed 3 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies programs, but they also 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The communications school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region”.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. 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 in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Southwest Region

#1

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas

#3 in overall quality

$17,530 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #1 spot on the list. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree communications students list, Texas Tech has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas Tech are $17,530, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Texas Tech

#2

Texas A&M University - College Station

College Station, Texas

#2 in overall quality

$22,743 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas A&M University - College Station landed the #2 spot on the list. Texas A&M College Station is located in College Station, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our southwest region doctor’s degree communications students list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Texas A&M College Station are $22,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Texas A&M University - College Station Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

Arizona State University - Tempe

Tempe, Arizona

#1 in overall quality

$27,048 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$66,915 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arizona State University - Tempe. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region list. Arizona State University - Tempe is a public institution located in Tempe, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 10 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Tempe also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Arizona State University - Tempe are $27,048, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Arizona State University - Tempe Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

Norman, Oklahoma

#3 in overall quality

$23,236 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 3 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Oklahoma Norman Campus landed the #3 spot on the list. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Oklahoma also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus are $23,236, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies

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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