2021 Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies
Approximately 66,279 communication and media studies degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many options it can be a daunting task finding the best fit for you. This year's Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies ranking analyzed 504 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 25 colleges for Communication & Media Studies students.
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Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School
Your choice of communication and media studies school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list a school must excel in the following areas.
Overall Quality is a Must
The overall quality of a school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 8% of our overall quality ranking while the lowest ranked school on the list is still in the top 11%.
Better Early and Mid Career Salaries
Communication & Media Studies graduates from colleges on this list tend to earn more after college than those from other schools. While the average communication and media studies bachelors degree from U.S. schools results in an average starting salary of $31,626, graduates of colleges on this list average $40,572.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Communication & Media Studies students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other communication and media studies students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized communication and media studies related accrediting body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for Communication & Media Studies students.
Best Schools to Study Communication & Media Studies in United States
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for communication and media studies majors. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list. Of the 504 schools analyzed, only 25 earned the distinction of being on this list.
Top 25 Best Communications Colleges
University of Pennsylvania is among your top options if you're planning on studying communication and media studies. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of 9 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means UPenn is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, UPenn also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). Communication & Media Studies majors from University of Pennsylvania get a earnings boost of approximately $8,828 above the typical earnings of communication and media studies majors.
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University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students interested in a Communication & Media Studies degree. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of 40 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means USC is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, USC also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. After graduating, communications students usually earn an average of $39,200 at the beginning of their careers.
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It's hard to beat Cornell University if you wish to study communication and media studies. Located in the small city Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 17 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Cornell is a great school overall.
A preferred major for communication and media studies undergrads, there are roughly 87 learners studying this program at Cornell. Graduates from the communication and media studies major at Cornell University make $6,528 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Every student pursuing a degree in communication and media studies has to check out Boston University. Located in the large city Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 49 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great school overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Boston U also offers a Master's Degree in communication and media studies. Graduates from the communication and media studies program at Boston University make $2,328 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Located in the town Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of 50 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means DePauw is a great school overall.
DePauw University is one of the most popular college to study communications in United States exceeding 89 graduations last year. DePauw University communication and media studies students receive $2,428 more than the standard communications grad.
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Located in the large suburb College Park, UMCP is a public school with a very large student population. This college ranks 117th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Maryland.
For those interested in something more advanced, UMCP also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). University of Maryland - College Park communication and media studies students make $2,728 more than the average communications graduate.
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Located in the small city Evanston, Northwestern U is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 12 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Northwestern U is a great school overall.
Northwestern University is one of the most popular school to study communications in United States exceeding 170 graduates last year. Communication & Media Studies majors from Northwestern University get a earnings boost of around $2,028 over the typical earnings of communication and media studies majors.
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UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of 60 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great college overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, UNC Chapel Hill also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Students who graduate from this program state that they receive average early career income of $33,900.
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Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Chestnut Hill. A Best Colleges rank of 61 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Boston College is a great school overall.
A favorite choice for communication and media studies undergraduates, there are about 221 learners enrolled in this degree at Boston College. Boston College communication and media studies students earn $5,128 more than the standard communications graduate.
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Located in the suburb Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 78 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Villanova is a great college overall.
In addition to its bachelor's programs, Villanova offers a Master's Degree in communication and media studies. Graduates of the communications program make around $42,200 in their early career salary.
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Purdue is a fairly large public school located in the city of West Lafayette. This college ranks 84th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There are about 431 communication and media studies undergrads studying this degree at Purdue. Graduates of the communications program make around $36,100 for their early career.
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Located in the small city Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 92nd out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There are roughly 296 communication and media studies undergraduates enrolled in this program at UIUC. Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, communications students usually make about $38,100 at the beginning of their careers.
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U of Michigan is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of 38 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means U of Michigan is a great school overall.
There are about 241 communication and media studies undergrads enrolled in this degree at U of Michigan. Students who complete this program report average early career wages of $41,500.
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Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing. This school ranks 107th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
For those interested in something more advanced, Michigan State also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). Soon after getting their bachelor's degree, communications students generally earn about $36,200 in their early careers.
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The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Washington. This college ranks 164th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.
For those interested in something more advanced, The American University also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Graduates of the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $42,100.
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Located in the suburb Fairfield, Fairfield U is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 185th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Fairfield U also offers a Master's Degree in communication and media studies. Graduates of the communications program report average early career income of $42,300.
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UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Santa Barbara. This school ranks 133rd out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
For those interested in something more advanced, UCSB also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). Students who graduate from the communications program make an average of $36,300 in the first couple years of working.
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Located in the city Boston, Northeastern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population. This school ranks 81st out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
Northeastern University is one of the most popular college to study communications in United States with over 152 graduations last year. Students from the communication and media studies degree program at Northeastern University earn $4,828 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
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Located in the small city Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public school with a very large student population. This school ranks 141st out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
For those interested in something more advanced, IU Bloomington also offers 2 different higher degree levels in communication and media studies, the most popular of which is a Doctor's Degree (Research / Scholarship). Graduates of the communications program make about $35,200 for their early career.
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U of U is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City. This school ranks 180th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Utah.
There are about 353 communication and media studies undergrads enrolled in this degree at U of U. Graduates of the communications program report average early career wages of $38,300.
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SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of 68 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great college overall.
A preferred choice for communication and media studies undergraduates, there are approximately 130 students studying this degree at SCU. Students from the communication and media studies major at Santa Clara University make $2,428 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of 37 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great school overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Wake Forest University also offers a Master's Degree in communication and media studies. Graduates of the communications program earn around $37,700 in their early career salary.
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Located in the small suburb Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a very large student population. This college ranks 83rd out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
A preferred major for communication and media studies undergraduates, there are roughly 323 individuals enrolled in this program at UC Davis. Soon after graduation, communications students typically earn around $37,900 at the beginning of their careers.
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UMass Amherst is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Amherst. This school ranks 118th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There are approximately 311 communication and media studies undergrads studying this program at UMass Amherst. After graduating, communications students typically make around $39,200 in their early careers.
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U of Denver is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Denver. This college ranks 176th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
A popular choice for communication and media studies undergraduates, there are approximately 182 learners enrolled in this program at U of Denver. After graduation, communications students typically make around $35,700 at the beginning of their careers.
More… Request InformationRest of the Top 50 Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies
Additional Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 504 different United States communication and media studies schools we analyzed.
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies award.
Communication & Media Studies by Region
View the Best Colleges for Communication & Media Studies for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| The Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
Rankings in Majors Related to Communications
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related to Communications
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Relations & Advertising | 20,156 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 16,150 |
| Journalism | 15,466 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,784 |
| Publishing | 297 |
View All Communications Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools
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Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
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| Northcentral University Northcentral University (NCU) was founded to provide accessible, high-quality, online graduate degrees to working professionals. As a regionally accredited, online university, NCU serves students worldwide, focusing on Doctoral and Master's degree programs in the Schools of Business and Technology Management, Education, Psychology, and Marriage and Family Sciences. Learn More > |
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| Colorado Technical University (CTU) CTU could help you connect to what matters most: a powerful professional community, faculty who are real-world professionals, and innovative technology. Learn More > |
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