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2024 Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools

75 Colleges in the United States
533 Doctor's Degrees
$56,176 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Journalismdoctorate programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #22 out of the 36 majors we look at each year. While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 75 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 533 doctor's degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools The communication & journalism doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communication & journalism program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree 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.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor'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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication & journalism students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communication & Journalism Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The communication & 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 Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools.


 

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Communication & Journalism in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Communication & Journalism

1
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Pennsylvania

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in communication & journalism has to check out University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Northwestern University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Wisconsin - Madison if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Cornell University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4 Annual Graduates

Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5 Annual Graduates

Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Columbia University in the City of New York

10
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Stanford University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Athens.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Georgia

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
12 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
13 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
14 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
15 New York University New York, NY
16 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
17 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
18 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX

Communication & Journalism by Region

View the Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 425
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 63
Public Relations & Advertising 19
Journalism 16
Communication & Journalism (Other) 10

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 3,487
Theology & Religious Vocations 2,356
English Language & Literature 1,092
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 1,000
History 721
Philosophy & Religious Studies 629
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 342
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 233
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 90

Notes and References

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