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2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

17 Ranked Colleges
853 Degrees Awarded
$14,400 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor's in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

Communication & Media Studies is the 74th most popular major in the country with 10,951 degrees awarded in 2019-2020.

Across the Southwest region, there were 1,029 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 853 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 17 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 18 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Southwest Region

#8 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Edinburg, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 86 students in 2019-2020.

UT Rio Grande Valley did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UT Rio Grande Valley is $3,473 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Communication & Media Studies Report

#2

Trinity University

San Antonio, Texas
#2 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Trinity University landed the #2 spot on the list. Trinity U is a small school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 40 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Trinity U also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #2. It costs about $12,991 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Trinity U.

The impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Trinity U

#3

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, Texas
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Texas Tech University landed the #3 spot on the list. This large school is located in Lubbock, Texas, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

Texas Tech also took the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas Tech is $13,326 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Texas Tech

#4

MSU Texas

Wichita Falls, Texas
#9 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend MSU Texas. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. MSU Texas is located in Wichita Falls, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 27 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

MSU Texas not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,554 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend MSU Texas.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at MSU Texas

#5

University of Houston

Houston, Texas
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Houston. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 5 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UH is $9,925 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UH

#3 in overall quality

Out of the 17 schools in the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Scottsdale, Arizona, and it awarded 199 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

ASU - Skysong also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,020 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Arizona State University - Skysong.

Full ASU - Skysong Communication & Media Studies Report

#6

East Central University

Ada, Oklahoma
#10 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, East Central University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. ECU is a public institution located in Ada, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 19 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, ECU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,259 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend ECU.

Full ECU Communication & Media Studies Report

#13 in overall quality

The University of Texas at Tyler came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. UT Tyler is located in Tyler, Texas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 19 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Tyler, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at Tyler is $7,058 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UT Tyler

#8

Texas State University

San Marcos, Texas
#6 in overall quality

Texas State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 36 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, Texas State has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Texas State is $12,292 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#9

Sam Houston State University

Huntsville, Texas
#7 in overall quality

Sam Houston State University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. Huntsville, Texas is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 132 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, SHSU has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for SHSU is $11,634 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Sam Houston State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#11 in overall quality

Stephen F Austin State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking, coming in at #10. Stephen F Austin State University is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 59 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k list, SFASU has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $10,816 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Stephen F Austin State University.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at SFASU

#11

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, Texas
#1 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Texas Christian University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Fort Worth, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s media studies degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

TCU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend Texas Christian University is $23,246 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at TCU

#12

Oral Roberts University

Tulsa, Oklahoma
#14 in overall quality

Oral Roberts University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. ORU is located in Tulsa, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

ORU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $20,104 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k per year to attend Oral Roberts University.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Oral Roberts University

#13

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi, Texas
#12 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Texas A&M Corpus Christi is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 bachelors’s media studies degrees to qualified students.

Texas A&M Corpus Christi did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M Corpus Christi is $16,393 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Full Texas A&M Corpus Christi Communication & Media Studies Report

#14

Wiley College

Marshall, Texas
#18 in overall quality

Wiley College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Marshall, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 17 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Wiley College, the school also landed the #18 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Wiley College is $17,314 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wiley College

#15

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, Texas
#16 in overall quality

With a ranking of #15, University of the Incarnate Word did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. UIW is a medium-sized school located in San Antonio, Texas that handed out 6 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UIW also took the #16 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for University of the Incarnate Word is $23,053 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Media Studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UIW

#15 in overall quality

With a ranking of #16, University of Mary Hardin - Baylor did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Belton, Texas, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 12 degrees to qualified bachelors’s media studies students in 2019-2020.

UMHB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for UMHB is $23,959 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UMHB

#17

Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas
#17 in overall quality

Texas Southern University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Media Studies Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $30-$48k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Houston, Texas, and it awarded 11 bachelors’s media studies degrees in 2019-2020.

TSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for TSU is $24,201 for southwest region bachelor’s degree media studies students whose families make $30-$48k.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Texas Southern University

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Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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