College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

14 Ranked Colleges
249 Degrees Awarded
$48,224 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” 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 10th of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 66,787 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 2,072 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,207 and $24,284 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 249 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 14 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in communication and media studies.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

Rankings by Degree Other Award Levels
Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communications Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois” list to help you make the college decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois

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

Top 14 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

1
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 92 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern

2
EIU crest
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Illinois University landed the #2 spot on the list. Charleston, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 17 students in 2020-2021.

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

3

Out of the 14 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeastern Illinois University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized public school handed out 14 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

4
Illinois State crest
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 #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois. Illinois State is a large public school situated in Normal, Illinois. It awarded 44 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Illinois State Communication & Media Studies Report

5
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Columbia College Chicago. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 10 students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Columbia

6

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. This fairly large school is located in Edwardsville, Illinois, and it awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full SIUE Communication & Media Studies Report

7
GSU crest
Governors State University
University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Governors State University is located in University Park, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at GSU

8

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Dekalb, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 14 students in 2020-2021.

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

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Springfield did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois list. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full UIS Communication & Media Studies Report

10
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #10. DePaul University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 17 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full DePaul University Communication & Media Studies Report

11

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 6 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Full SIUC Communication & Media Studies Report

12

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. UIUC is a large public school situated in Champaign, Illinois. It awarded 11 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

13

University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #13. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UIC

14
Adler crest
Adler University
Chicago, Illinois

Adler University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communications Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 0 students in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Adler Communication & Media Studies Report

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

Credits

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options