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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
203 Degrees Awarded
$21,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Master’s in Illinois” 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 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” ranking, we looked at 11 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Master’s in Illinois”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois.

Top 11 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Illinois State University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Illinois State is located in Normal, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 23 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#2

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. EIU is located in Charleston, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

EIU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Eastern Illinois University Communication & Media Studies Report

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #3 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 12 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUE also took the #7 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 SIUE are $9,300.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SIUE

Out of the 11 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #4 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Carbondale, Illinois, and it awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students list, SIUC has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SIUC

#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Springfield. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. University of Illinois at Springfield is located in Springfield, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 6 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UIS also took the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Northern Illinois University is located in Dekalb, Illinois and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 8 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

NIU also took the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northern Illinois University are $11,086, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Northern Illinois University Communication & Media Studies Report

#6 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Chicago ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large public school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 4 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIC are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#8

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 21 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

DePaul 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 DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full DePaul Communication & Media Studies Report

#9

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #9. Governors State University is a small school located in University Park, Illinois that handed out 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full GSU Communication & Media Studies Report

#11 in overall quality

Northeastern Illinois University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 4 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #11 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 Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032.

Full Northeastern Illinois University Communication & Media Studies Report

#11

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Northwestern University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 83 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 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 Northwestern are $56,567.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern

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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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