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2024 Best Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region

22 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,605 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$32,691 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 22 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,605 degrees in journalism during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Journalism School

Best Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Journalism Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest Region Schools in Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,952 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $33,952 for their early career.

More information about a degree in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
271 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,229 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Oklahoma Norman Campus if you want to pursue a degree in journalism. Located in the suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 271 journalism students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism major at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus earn $2,538 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX
42 Journalism Degrees Awarded

It is hard to beat Southern Methodist University if you want to pursue a degree in journalism. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 42 journalism students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in journalism from Southern Methodist University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Journalism Degrees Awarded
28.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in journalism has to look into Texas Christian University. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 journalism students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Journalism degree recipients from Texas Christian University get an earnings boost of about $5,505 above the average income of journalism graduates.

More information about a degree in journalism from Texas Christian University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,631 Median Starting Salary

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were roughly 75 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism degree program at Baylor University earn $4,940 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in journalism from Baylor University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
208 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$40,126 Median Starting Salary

ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 208 journalism students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism degree program at Arizona State University - Tempe make $7,435 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in journalism from Arizona State University - Tempe

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
289 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$31,877 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 14th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 289 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, journalism degree recipients usually make around $31,877 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of North Texas

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,571 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 journalism students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, journalism degree recipients usually make an average of $33,571 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Arizona

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX

Austin Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the city of Austin. This college ranks 33rd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 22 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in journalism from Austin Community College District

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Journalism Degrees Awarded
$30,425 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Houston, UH is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #211 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UH is a great university overall.

There were about 59 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the journalism program make an average of $30,425 for their early career.

More information about a degree in journalism from University of Houston

Best Journalism Colleges by State

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas317888
Arizona287362
Oklahoma257436
New Mexico21970

View All Rankings >

Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Journalism Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
General Journalism1,213
Other Journalism230
Broadcast Journalism147
Photojournalism15

View All Journalism Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Journalism

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies6,617
Public Relations & Advertising2,679
Radio, Television & Digital Communication2,374
Communication & Journalism (Other)18
Publishing4

View All Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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