Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #5 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 688 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The communications bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communications 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 make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Early-Career Salaries
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to communication & media studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of communication & media studies students who choose to seek a bachelor's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for communication & media studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their bachelor's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized communication & media studies related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication & media studies students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Tennessee list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Located in the city of Chattanooga, UT Chattanooga is a public university with a large student population.
After graduating, communications bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $33,082 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga
Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.
After graduating, communications bachelor's recipients typically earn about $27,380 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from East Tennessee State University
Located in the small city of Cleveland, Lee University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career income of $27,365.
More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Lee University
Austin Peay State University is a moderately-sized public university located in the city of Clarksville.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career income of $25,643.
More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Austin Peay State University
UT Martin is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Martin.
Soon after graduating, communications bachelor's recipients usually earn an average of $26,803 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from The University of Tennessee - Martin