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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

56 Colleges in the Plains States Region
3,082 Bachelor's Degrees
$34,634 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 looked at 56 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 3,082 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your bachelor's degree 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.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

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

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full 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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communications Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region.

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 the Plains States Region

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

10 Top Plains States Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Communications

1
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
210 Annual Graduates
$37,289 Median Starting Salary
$25,814 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Iowa if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Iowa receive an earnings boost of around $2,655 over the average income of communication & media studies graduates.

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

2
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
150 Annual Graduates
$35,383 Median Starting Salary
$22,250 Median Student Debt

It is difficult to beat University of Kansas if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU 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 wages of $35,383.

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

3
5 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

4
221 Annual Graduates
$35,358 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies has to check out University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make an average of $35,358 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Missouri - Columbia

5
120 Annual Graduates
$38,415 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public university located in the city of Mankato.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Minnesota State University - Mankato earn $3,781 more than the average communications student.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Minnesota State University - Mankato

6
43 Annual Graduates
$37,220 Median Starting Salary
$22,138 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Nebraska - Lincoln earn $2,586 more than the standard communications student.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

7
22 Annual Graduates
$38,632 Median Starting Salary
$25,250 Median Student Debt

Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit college located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Concordia College at Moorhead get an earnings boost of around $3,998 above the typical earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Concordia College at Moorhead

8
92 Annual Graduates
$38,232 Median Starting Salary
$19,425 Median Student Debt

Iowa State is a very large public university located in the city of Ames.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Iowa State University earn a boost of approximately $3,598 above the average earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

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

9
95 Annual Graduates
$36,050 Median Starting Salary
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Saint Cloud, St. Cloud State University is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program earn an average of $36,050 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Saint Cloud State University

10
78 Annual Graduates
$34,704 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

USD is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Vermillion.

After graduating, communications bachelor's recipients generally make around $34,704 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of South Dakota

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & media studies schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Missouri 228 929
Minnesota 215 817
Iowa 197 495
Kansas 184 440
Nebraska 180 142
North Dakota 149 120
South Dakota 148 137

View All Rankings >

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,938
Communications 619
Communication & Media Studies 517
Other Communication & Media Studies 8

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Journalism 1,483
Public Relations & Advertising 1,081
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 179
Communication & Journalism (Other) 133
Publishing 3

Notes and References

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