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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Indiana

16 Colleges in Indiana
1,623 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,850 Avg Early-Career Salary
Ranked #10 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 16 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Indiana ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,623 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 Indiana 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. 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.

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 Indiana list to help you make the college 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 Indiana

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

10 Top Indiana Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
458 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,700 Median Starting Salary

Indiana University - Bloomington is a great choice for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 458 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career wages of $36,700.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
445 Communications Degrees Awarded
12.1% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Purdue University - Main Campus if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #65 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 445 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Purdue University - Main Campus receive $19,676 more than the standard communications graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Purdue University - Main Campus

3
DePauw crest
DePauw University
Greencastle, IN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Communications Degrees Awarded
$43,141 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat DePauw University if you want to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. DePauw is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Greencastle. A Best Colleges rank of #418 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePauw is a great university overall.

There were about 50 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at DePauw in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at DePauw University earn $6,291 above the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
71 Communications Degrees Awarded
$39,775 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the large city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #253 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.

There were about 71 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis earn a boost of approximately $2,925 over the average income of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Communications Degrees Awarded
$33,815 Median Starting Salary

Ball State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Muncie. A Best Colleges rank of #181 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 80 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career wages of $33,815.

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

6
St. Mary's College crest
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN

St. Mary's College is a small private not-for-profit college located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #716 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means St. Mary's College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 20 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at St. Mary's College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,322.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Saint Mary’s College

7
Hanover crest
Hanover College
Hanover, IN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$31,621 Median Starting Salary
$43,500 Median Student Debt

Hanover is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Hanover. This college ranks 24th out of 41 schools for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 28 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Hanover in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career earnings of $31,621.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Hanover College

8
Indiana State crest
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Communications Degrees Awarded
$34,213 Median Starting Salary

Indiana State is a medium-sized public university located in the small city of Terre Haute. This university ranks 23rd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were about 62 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Indiana State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make around $34,213 for their early career.

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

9
Valpo crest
Valparaiso University
Valparaiso, IN

Located in the small suburb of Valparaiso, Valpo is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 21st out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.

There were approximately 18 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Valpo in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, communications degree recipients generally earn about $35,164 in their early careers.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Communications Degrees Awarded
32.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Evansville, USI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #653 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USI is a great university overall.

There were about 37 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at USI in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career wages of $29,059.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Southern Indiana

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
Michigan 322 1,777
Ohio 314 2,148
Illinois 304 2,069
Wisconsin 273 1,297

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 819
Communication & Media Studies 488
Communications 293
Other Communication & Media Studies 23

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 475
Public Relations & Advertising 419
Journalism 304
Communication & Journalism (Other) 16

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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