Best Schools for Publishing in the United States
See the highest-ranked publishing schools offering a master’s degree below.
Top Schools in Publishing
Leading the list is New York University, our #1 school for publishing. New York University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York. The six-year graduation rate is 88%. New York University awarded about 40 publishing degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their publishing degree from New York University earn around $48,633 in the first couple years of their career. New York University graduates carry a median of $21,897 in student loans.
See the full publishing program report for New York University
George Washington University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best publishing schools. This very large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Washington. About 84% of students finish within six years. George Washington University awarded about 47 publishing degrees in the most recent data year. Publishing graduates of George Washington University earn a median of $58,819 early in their careers. Typical student debt for the program is $22,910.
Read more about the publishing program at George Washington University
Emerson College came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the best publishing schools. Set in the city of Boston, Emerson College is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Emerson College graduates 77% of students within six years. Emerson College awarded about 39 publishing degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the publishing program make about $44,046 in their early career. Typical student debt for the program is $24,813.
Read more about the publishing program at Emerson College
Pace University New York is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in publishing, landing the #4 spot this year. This large private not-for-profit university is located in the city of New York. The six-year graduation rate is 60%. About 27 publishing degrees were awarded at Pace University New York in the most recent year. Graduates of the publishing program make about $41,812 in their early career. Students borrow a median of $25,670 to complete this degree.
Read more about the publishing program at Pace University New York
Students looking for a strong publishing program will find one at Portland State University, which ranked #5. This very large public university is located in the city of Portland. Portland State University graduates 53% of students within six years. About 22 publishing degrees were awarded at Portland State University in the most recent year. Graduates of the publishing program make about $23,449 in their early career. Portland State University graduates carry a median of $26,475 in student loans.
See the full publishing program report for Portland State University
Other Publishing Degree Levels
Looking for a different degree level? Compare Publishing rankings across degree levels:
Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 33 schools evaluated.
- 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 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).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
