by our College Data Analytics TeamWe've pulled together some essential information you should know about the program, including how many students graduate each year, the ethnic diversity of these students, average starting salaries, and more. In addition, we cover how Northwestern ranks in comparison to other schools with communications programs.
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Ranked at #3 in College Factual's most recent rankings, Northwestern is in the top 1% of the country for communications students pursuing a bachelor's degree. It is also ranked #1 in Illinois.
| Ranking Type | Rank |
|---|---|
| Best Communication & Media Studies Schools | 3 |
| Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools | 3 |
During the 2021-2022 academic year, Northwestern University handed out 90 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies. This is a decrease of 19% over the previous year when 111 degrees were handed out.
In 2022, 92 students received their master’s degree in communications from Northwestern. This makes it the #10 most popular school for communications master’s degree candidates in the country.
In addition, 3 students received their doctoral degrees in communications in 2022, making the school the #50 most popular school in the United States for this category of students.
The median salary of communications students who receive their bachelor's degree at Northwestern is $52,210. This is great news for graduates of the program, since this figure is higher than the national average of $34,959 for all communications bachelor's degree recipients.
Part-time undergraduates at Northwestern paid an average of $7,690 per credit hour in 2022-2023. This tuition was the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.
| In State | Out of State | |
|---|---|---|
| Tuition | $64,887 | $64,887 |
| Fees | $1,110 | $1,110 |
| Books and Supplies | $1,686 | $1,686 |
| On Campus Room and Board | $20,334 | $20,334 |
| On Campus Other Expenses | $3,273 | $3,273 |
Learn more about Northwestern tuition and fees.
Of the 90 communications students who graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2021-2022 from Northwestern, about 29% were men and 71% were women.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from Northwestern University with a bachelor's in communications.
| Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
|---|---|
| Asian | 13 |
| Black or African American | 14 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 9 |
| White | 33 |
| Non-Resident Aliens | 8 |
| Other Races | 13 |
Northwestern does not offer an online option for its communications bachelor’s degree program at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the Northwestern Online Learning page.
Communications majors graduating with a master's degree from Northwestern make a median salary of $87,012 a year. This is a better than average outcome since the median salary for all communications graduates with a master's is $49,614.
Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the communications majors at Northwestern University.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 694 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 44 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.