by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 297 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,997 master's degrees in communication & journalism during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The communication & journalism master'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master'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.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 colleges for communication & journalism students working on their master's degree.
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 Master's Degree Schools.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master'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.
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in communication & journalism needs to take a look at Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Northwestern University
University of Southern California is a great decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Southern California
University of Pennsylvania is a good decision for individuals pursuing a master'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 master’s in communication & journalism from University of Pennsylvania
It's hard to beat Georgetown University if you want to pursue a master's degree in communication & journalism. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Georgetown University
Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Columbia University in the City of New York
Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Johns Hopkins University
Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from George Washington University
DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Denver.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Denver
Located in the city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Cornell University
Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Atlanta.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Southern Methodist University
UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Boston University
UF is a fairly large public university located in the city of Gainesville.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Florida
Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Iowa
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Villanova University
Gonzaga is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Spokane.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Gonzaga University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from New York University
Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Syracuse University
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Drake is a small private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Des Moines.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Drake University
Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of San Francisco
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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 Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 45 | University of Kansas | Lawrence, KS |
| 46 | Indiana University - Bloomington | Bloomington, IN |
| 47 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 48 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 49 | Baylor University | Waco, TX |
| 50 | San Diego State University | San Diego, CA |
| 51 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 52 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 53 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 54 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 55 | University of Oklahoma Norman Campus | Norman, OK |
| 56 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville | Knoxville, TN |
| 57 | Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 58 | Clark University | Worcester, MA |
| 59 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
View the Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 4,407 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 2,542 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 2,343 |
| Journalism | 1,181 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 314 |
| Publishing | 210 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 16,693 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 14,027 |
| English Language & Literature | 7,909 |
| History | 3,509 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 3,139 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 2,909 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,087 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 2,044 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,942 |
