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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Washington

13 Colleges in Washington
976 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,850 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #10 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 976 degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Washington The communications program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Communication & Media Studies 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.

Communication & Media Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications

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 Schools in Washington list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies in Washington

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the communications degree levels they offer.

10 Top Washington Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
318 Communications Degrees Awarded
$44,638 Median Starting Salary

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 318 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies major at University of Washington - Seattle Campus get $7,788 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Communications Degrees Awarded
36.1% Growth in Graduates

Washington State University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Washington State University make $6,352 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Washington State University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Communications Degrees Awarded
$34,857 Median Starting Salary

Western Washington University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. WWU is a large public university located in the city of Bellingham. A Best Colleges rank of #287 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 81 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career income of $34,857.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Western Washington University

4
Gonzaga crest
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Communications Degrees Awarded
$37,799 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Gonzaga University if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #195 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Gonzaga is a great university overall.

There were about 36 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Gonzaga in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, communications degree recipients typically make around $37,799 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Gonzaga University

5
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$39,316 Median Starting Salary

Seattle U is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 28 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Seattle University make $2,466 more than the average communications graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Seattle University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Communications Degrees Awarded
$37,782 Median Starting Salary

Located in the fringe town of Cheney, EWU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 109 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at EWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career wages of $37,782.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Eastern Washington University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$35,820 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #339 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 23 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, communications degree recipients generally make about $35,820 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Central Washington University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$29,477 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Tacoma, Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 14th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 29 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Puget Sound in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career income of $29,477.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Puget Sound

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In WA
69.2% Growth in Graduates

Whitworth is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Spokane. This university ranks 18th out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 26 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Whitworth in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Whitworth University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$33,970 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Tacoma, PLU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 9th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 21 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at PLU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career wages of $33,970.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Pacific Lutheran University

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 12,751
Oregon 266 411
Nevada 192 367
Hawaii 164 265
Alaska 119 11

View All Rankings >

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

Communications Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 686
Communication & Media Studies 245
Communications 45

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 376
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 315
Journalism 231
Communication & Journalism (Other) 70

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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