College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

27 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
3,156 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,142 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in communication & media studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #10 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 27 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,156 degrees in communication & media studies during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region Your choice of communication & media studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Communication & Media Studies School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Communication & Media Studies Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Communications
Bachelor's Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies in the Rocky Mountains Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the communications degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
294 Communications Degrees Awarded
48.6% Growth in Graduates

University of Denver is a great choice for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Denver. A Best Colleges rank of #126 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DU is a great university overall.

There were about 294 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at University of Denver get $11,277 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Denver

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
193 Communications Degrees Awarded
$40,409 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Colorado Boulder if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CU - Boulder is a great university overall.

There were roughly 193 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from University of Colorado Boulder receive $4,267 more than the standard communications student.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Colorado Boulder

3
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
343 Communications Degrees Awarded
$38,433 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in communication & media studies needs to check out University of Utah. Located in the city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #151 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 343 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from University of Utah earn $2,291 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Utah

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,094 Median Starting Salary

Colorado State University - Fort Collins is a good decision for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #156 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 202 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $36,094.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In UT
95 Communications Degrees Awarded

Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #100 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were about 95 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Brigham Young University - Provo

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
202 Communications Degrees Awarded
$33,023 Median Starting Salary

Boise State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Boise. A Best Colleges rank of #526 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Boise State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 202 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Boise State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, communications degree recipients typically make around $33,023 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Boise State University

7
Westminster College Salt Lake crest
Westminster College Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Communications Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Westminster College Salt Lake is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Salt Lake City. This college ranks 7th out of 13 colleges for overall quality in the state of Utah.

There were about 39 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Westminster College Salt Lake in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Westminster College Utah make $25,688 more than the average communications student.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Westminster College Utah

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
173 Communications Degrees Awarded
15.0% Growth in Graduates

CU Anschutz is a fairly large public university located in the city of Denver. A Best Colleges rank of #585 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means CU Anschutz is a great university overall.

There were roughly 173 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at CU Anschutz in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career income of $37,733.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
203 Communications Degrees Awarded
2.5% Growth in Graduates

UVU is a very large public university located in the city of Orem. A Best Colleges rank of #279 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UVU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 203 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UVU in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from Utah Valley University get an earnings boost of about $3,047 above the typical earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Utah Valley University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In UT
59 Communications Degrees Awarded

USU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Logan. A Best Colleges rank of #341 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 59 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at USU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Utah State University

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & media studies schools for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Colorado 275 1,248
Utah 266 1,149
Idaho 219 565
Montana 188 60
Wyoming 162 87

View All Rankings >

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

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 2,229
Other Communication & Media Studies 365
Communications 340
Communication & Media Studies 222

View All Communications Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 796
Journalism 457
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 258
Publishing 44
Communication & Journalism (Other) 9

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options