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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

14 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
561 Master's Degrees
$56,421 Avg Early-Career Salary
a master's degree in communication & media studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #44 out of 343 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 14 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 561 master's degrees in communication & media studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School for Your Master's Degree

Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The communications master'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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 for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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 master's degree.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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The communications school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for communication & media studies students seeking a a master's degree.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Communications

1

It is difficult to beat Purdue University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a master's degree in communication & media studies. Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the city of West Lafayette.

Master's recipients from the communication & media studies program at Purdue University - Main Campus earn $13,691 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Purdue University - Main Campus

2
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
16 Annual Graduates

Marquette University is a great choice for individuals pursuing a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Marquette University

3
10 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies needs to look into University of Wisconsin - Whitewater. UW - Whitewater is a large public university located in the distant town of Whitewater.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

4
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

DePaul University is a good decision for students interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the communications program earn an average of $46,389 for their early career.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from DePaul University

5
14 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

6
14 Annual Graduates

Ball State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Muncie.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Ball State University

7
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

8
20 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, Loyola Chicago is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Loyola University Chicago

9

Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Master's students who receive their degree from the communications program make about $45,215 in their early career salary.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Illinois State University

10

Located in the town of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduation, communications master's recipients generally earn about $48,689 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Grand Valley State University

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & media studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 221 249
Michigan 211 123
Ohio 207 76
Indiana 191 239
Wisconsin 173 40

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 412
Communications 103
Other Communication & Media Studies 32
Communication & Media Studies 14

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 613
Public Relations & Advertising 172
Journalism 92
Communication & Journalism (Other) 4

Notes and References

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