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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
2,381 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,353 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #5 in popularity, communication & media studies is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,381 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communications Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 North Carolina list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Communication & Media Studies in North Carolina

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

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Bachelor's in Communications

1
521 Annual Graduates
$43,348 Median Starting Salary
$35,260 Median Student Debt

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a wonderful option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $9,995 more than the standard communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2
48 Annual Graduates
$48,637 Median Starting Salary
$60,115 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Elon University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Elon University receive $15,284 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Elon University

3
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to take a look at Wake Forest University. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Wake Forest University receive $8,702 more than the standard communications student.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Wake Forest University

4
249 Annual Graduates
$37,813 Median Starting Salary
$20,906 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to take a look at East Carolina University. Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at East Carolina University get $4,460 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from East Carolina University

5
197 Annual Graduates
$39,889 Median Starting Salary
$25,905 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from North Carolina State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $6,536 over the average income of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from North Carolina State University

6
236 Annual Graduates
$38,234 Median Starting Salary
$16,563 Median Student Debt

UNC Charlotte is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Charlotte.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of North Carolina at Charlotte receive $4,881 more than the standard communications student.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

7
186 Annual Graduates
$30,559 Median Starting Salary
$19,782 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program earn around $30,559 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

8
175 Annual Graduates
$36,695 Median Starting Salary
$29,869 Median Student Debt

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Wilmington get an earnings boost of approximately $3,342 over the typical earnings of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
52 Annual Graduates
$38,331 Median Starting Salary
$16,467 Median Student Debt

Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University earn $4,978 more than the standard communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Appalachian State University

10
115 Annual Graduates
$28,985 Median Starting Salary
$20,101 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Greensboro, NC A&T is a public university with a large student population.

After graduation, communications bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $28,985 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from North Carolina A & T State University

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 2,598
Georgia 224 680
Tennessee 220 910
Virginia 213 1,844
South Carolina 195 768
Kentucky 187 716
Alabama 184 857
Louisiana 171 765
Mississippi 169 261
Arkansas 167 441
West Virginia 147 132

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

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,308
Communication & Media Studies 780
Communications 268
Other Communication & Media Studies 25

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 337
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 246
Journalism 105

Notes and References

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