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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

14 Colleges in Virginia
1,844 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,827 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #5 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 14 schools in Virginia to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of communication & media studies. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,844 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia The communications bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communications program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for communication & media studies students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. 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 Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Communication & Media Studies in Virginia

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies.

10 Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Communications

1
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
433 Annual Graduates
$39,604 Median Starting Salary
$21,502 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies has to look into James Madison University. JMU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at James Madison University get $6,777 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from James Madison University

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
261 Annual Graduates
$36,639 Median Starting Salary
$20,613 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to check out Virginia Tech. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at Virginia Tech get $3,812 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Virginia Tech

3
257 Annual Graduates
$31,961 Median Starting Salary
$24,000 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Virginia Commonwealth University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the midsize city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career earnings of $31,961.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Virginia Commonwealth University

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
204 Annual Graduates
$33,014 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies has to check out Liberty University. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

After graduating, communications bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $33,014 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Liberty University

5
107 Annual Graduates
$34,363 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

CNU is a small public university located in the city of Newport News.

After graduation, communications bachelor's recipients typically earn an average of $34,363 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Christopher Newport University

6
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, VA
22 Annual Graduates
$38,514 Median Starting Salary
$26,975 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Roanoke College earn a boost of approximately $5,687 above the average income of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Roanoke College

7
41 Annual Graduates
$35,457 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Ashland, Randolph - Macon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at Randolph - Macon College make $2,630 above the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Randolph - Macon College

8
Marymount crest
Marymount University
Arlington, VA

Located in the city of Arlington, Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies major at Marymount University earn $9,679 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Marymount University

9
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
66 Annual Graduates
$34,483 Median Starting Salary
$25,250 Median Student Debt

Radford is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Radford.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make about $34,483 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Radford University

10
Bridgewater crest
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, VA
14 Annual Graduates
$29,542 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Bridgewater, Bridgewater is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career earnings of $29,542.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Bridgewater College

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 2,598
Georgia 224 680
Tennessee 220 910
North Carolina 213 2,828
South Carolina 195 768
Kentucky 187 716
Alabama 184 857
Louisiana 171 765
Mississippi 169 261
Arkansas 167 441
West Virginia 147 132

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Communications Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,240
Communication & Media Studies 364
Communications 238
Other Communication & Media Studies 2

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Journalism 134
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 94
Public Relations & Advertising 48
Communication & Journalism (Other) 44

Notes and References

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