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2024 Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region

21 Colleges in the Plains States Region
1,644 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,741 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in journalism is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #69 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,644 degrees in journalism to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Journalism School

Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region The journalism program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Journalism rankings. For our Best Overall Journalism School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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 Journalism Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Journalism
Master's Degrees in Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Journalism

The journalism 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 Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region. 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 Journalism in the Plains States Region

The schools below may not offer all types of journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Journalism

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
258 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,410 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Minnesota - Twin Cities if you wish to pursue a degree in journalism. UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 258 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. After graduating, journalism degree recipients generally make about $38,410 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
488 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$42,665 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in journalism has to take a look at University of Missouri - Columbia. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were approximately 488 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Missouri - Columbia receive $4,924 more than the standard journalism grad.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Missouri - Columbia

3
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
257 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,913 Median Starting Salary

University of Kansas is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 257 journalism students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, journalism degree recipients usually make around $37,913 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Kansas

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$46,352 Median Starting Salary

University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 170 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism degree program at University of Iowa earn $8,611 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Iowa

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,640 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #138 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNL is a great university overall.

There were approximately 109 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UNL in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program earn about $37,640 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

6
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Journalism Degrees Awarded
20.5% Growth in Graduates

Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Des Moines. A Best Colleges rank of #224 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Drake is a great university overall.

There were about 39 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $34,814 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in journalism from Drake University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$34,913 Median Starting Salary

Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Ames. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 56 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,913.

More information about a degree in journalism from Iowa State University

8

Located in the city of Omaha, Creighton is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #105 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Creighton is a great university overall.

There were approximately 29 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Creighton in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program make an average of $32,614 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in journalism from Creighton University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,997 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means K -State is a great university overall.

There were about 83 journalism students who graduated with this degree at K -State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, journalism degree recipients typically earn an average of $33,997 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in journalism from Kansas State University

10

UST MN is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Saint Paul. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UST MN is a great university overall.More information about a degree in journalism from University of St Thomas Minnesota

Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 284 292
Missouri 283 540
Kansas 266 347
Iowa 264 272
Nebraska 238 155
North Dakota 210 10
South Dakota 204 16

View All Rankings >

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

Journalism Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
General Journalism 1,481
Other Journalism 121
Broadcast Journalism 40
Photojournalism 2

View All Journalism Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 3,456
Public Relations & Advertising 1,308
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 308
Communication & Journalism (Other) 165
Publishing 22

View All Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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