College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois

5 Colleges in Illinois
337 Media Studies Degrees Awarded
Ranked #82 in popularity, communication & media studies is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 5 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 337 degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois Your choice of communication & media studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for communication & media studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Pick Your Communication & Media Studies Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Media Studies
Master's Degrees in Media Studies
Doctor's Degrees in Media Studies

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies in Illinois

The schools below may not offer all types of media studies degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

Top Illinois Schools in Media Studies

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In IL
38 Media Studies Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

2
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
99 Media Studies Degrees Awarded

DePaul University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in communication & media studies. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were approximately 99 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL
62 Media Studies Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat Illinois State University if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Illinois State is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Normal. This university ranks 8th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 62 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In IL
66 Media Studies Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat Southern Illinois University Edwardsville if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. SIUE is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville. This university ranks 31st out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 66 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In IL

Olivet Nazarene is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Bourbonnais. This university ranks 34th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 28 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Olivet Nazarene in the most recent data year.

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 939 163
Michigan 915 353
Indiana 737 483
Wisconsin 672 139

View All Rankings >

Communication & Media Studies is one of 3 different types of Communication & Media Studies programs to choose from.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 757
Communications 581
Other Communication & Media Studies 82

View All Media Studies Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options