2
Colleges in the Southwest Region
362
Associate Degrees
If you pursue a associate degree in
communication & media studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 2 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for communication & media studies students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 362 associate degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Average Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
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 - How many other communication & media studies students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- 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 associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized communication & media studies related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for communication & media studies students working on their associate 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 Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.