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

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. 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 Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 North Carolina, there were 3,015 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $28,490 and $25,001 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 119 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $55,088 and $45,388 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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 Master’s in North Carolina” list to help you make the college decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina

The colleges and universities below are the best for north carolina master’s degree communications students.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in North Carolina

#1

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

#1 in overall quality

$30,248 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$41,565 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the #1 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a large public school situated in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. It awarded 26 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNC Chapel Hill

#2

East Carolina University

Greenville, North Carolina

#4 in overall quality

$20,685 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$42,682 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina list. ECU is a public institution located in Greenville, North Carolina. The school has a large population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

ECU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #4. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at East Carolina University are $20,685.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at East Carolina University

#3

University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

#5 in overall quality

$21,055 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Charlotte, North Carolina, and it awarded 9 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UNC Charlotte also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” list, coming in at #5. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Charlotte are $21,055.

Full University of North Carolina at Charlotte Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

Queens University of Charlotte

Charlotte, North Carolina

#3 in overall quality

$14,548 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$56,234 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Queens University of Charlotte. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina. Located in Charlotte, North Carolina, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 38 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Queens, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Queens are $14,548, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Queens University of Charlotte Communication & Media Studies Report

#5

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

#2 in overall quality

$39,216 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in North Carolina. Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wake Forest University, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in North Carolina” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wake Forest University are $39,216, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wake Forest University

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Southeast Region
• Best Value Master’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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