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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

22 Ranked Colleges
298 Degrees Awarded
$16,400 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in the Plains States Region

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. 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 the Plains States Region” 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.

Across the Plains States region, there were 3,723 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,583 and $25,858 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 298 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $53,438 and $39,783 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region” ranking analyzed 22 colleges that offered 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.

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.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 the Plains States Region”.

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 when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region master’s degree communications students.

Top 22 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Plains States Region

#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. North Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Fargo, North Dakota that handed out 12 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

North Dakota State University also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University - Main Campus are $11,589, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at North Dakota State University

#2

Drake University

Des Moines, Iowa

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. Drake is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Des Moines, Iowa. It awarded 20 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree communications students list, Drake has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drake are $11,932, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Drake University Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, Missouri

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Lindenwood University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. Saint Charles, Missouri is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

Lindenwood University also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #7. Average graduate tuition and fees at Lindenwood University are $9,550, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Lindenwood University

Out of the 22 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Minnesota State University - Mankato landed the #4 spot on the list. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school situated in Mankato, Minnesota. It awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Minnesota State Mankato also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Minnesota State University - Mankato are $8,788.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Minnesota State Mankato

#5

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, South Dakota
#13 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of South Dakota. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region. USD is a medium-sized school located in Vermillion, South Dakota that handed out 3 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

USD also took the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USD are $12,637, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USD Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, Minnesota
#14 in overall quality

Saint Cloud State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #6. St. Cloud State University is located in Saint Cloud, Minnesota and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 11 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

St. Cloud State University also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #14. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Cloud State University are $12,904, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full St. Cloud State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#7

Webster University

Saint Louis, Missouri

Webster University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Saint Louis, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 16 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Webster did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Webster are $13,500.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Webster

#8

Drury University

Springfield, Missouri
#17 in overall quality

Drury University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Drury University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Springfield, Missouri. It awarded 9 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Drury University also took the #17 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Drury University are $8,515, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Drury University

Missouri State University - Springfield landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Missouri State University - Springfield is a public institution located in Springfield, Missouri. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Missouri State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Missouri State University - Springfield are $12,042.

Full Missouri State Communication & Media Studies Report

#10

South Dakota State University

Brookings, South Dakota
#11 in overall quality

South Dakota State University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. South Dakota State University is a fairly large school located in Brookings, South Dakota that handed out 14 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

South Dakota State also took the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at South Dakota State University are $16,743, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at South Dakota State

#11

Walden University

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Walden University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Walden University is a private for-profit institution located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Walden University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Walden University are $10,716, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Walden University

#12

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#4 in overall quality

University of Kansas landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Kansas is a large school located in Lawrence, Kansas that handed out 5 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

KU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full KU Communication & Media Studies Report

#13

University of Northern Iowa

Cedar Falls, Iowa
#8 in overall quality

University of Northern Iowa ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. University of Northern Iowa is a medium-sized school located in Cedar Falls, Iowa that handed out 10 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UNI did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Northern Iowa are $22,648.

Full UNI Communication & Media Studies Report

#14

Saint Louis University

Saint Louis, Missouri
#6 in overall quality

Saint Louis University landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Saint Louis University is located in Saint Louis, Missouri and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

SLU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Saint Louis University are $22,074, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full SLU Communication & Media Studies Report

#15

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, Missouri

University of Central Missouri landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. UCM is a medium-sized school located in Warrensburg, Missouri that handed out 18 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCM not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCM are $16,394, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Central Missouri

#16 in overall quality

University of Nebraska at Omaha came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. This fairly large school is located in Omaha, Nebraska, and it awarded 7 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our plains states region master’s degree communications students list, UNOMAHA has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska at Omaha are $16,374.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Nebraska at Omaha

#17

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#1 in overall quality

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a large school located in Minneapolis, Minnesota that handed out 4 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UMN Twin Cities Communication & Media Studies Report

#18

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#2 in overall quality

University of Iowa did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #18. Located in Iowa City, Iowa, this large public school awarded 5 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Iowa also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Iowa are $27,613, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Iowa

#19

Kansas State University

Manhattan, Kansas
#12 in overall quality

Kansas State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. Located in Manhattan, Kansas, this large public school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at K -State, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at K -State are $24,115, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Kansas State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#20

Pittsburg State University

Pittsburg, Kansas
#21 in overall quality

Pittsburg State University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking. Pittsburg, Kansas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

Pitt State also took the #21 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pittsburg State University are $19,320, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Pittsburg State University

#21

Wichita State University

Wichita, Kansas

Wichita State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region ranking, coming in at #21. Located in Wichita, Kansas, this fairly large public school handed out 9 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

WSU also took the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Wichita State University are $15,112, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at WSU

#22

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, Iowa
#22 in overall quality

With a ranking of #22, University of Dubuque did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Plains States Region list. UD is a small school located in Dubuque, Iowa that handed out 4 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UD, the school also landed the #22 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UD are $13,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Dubuque Communication & Media Studies Report

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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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