College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
2,717 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.

College Factual reviewed 19 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of communication & media studies. Combined, these schools handed out 2,717 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 North Carolina 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

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 North Carolina 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 North Carolina

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 North Carolina Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
588 Communications Degrees Awarded
$43,738 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in communication & media studies needs to check out University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were roughly 588 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $6,888 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Communications Degrees Awarded
39.5% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Elon University if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the midsize suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Elon University make $11,787 more than the average communications graduate.

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

3
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
144 Communications Degrees Awarded
$42,055 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in communication & media studies has to look into Wake Forest University. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Winston-Salem. A Best Colleges rank of #76 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wake Forest University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 144 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Wake Forest University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Wake Forest University get $5,205 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
255 Communications Degrees Awarded
$37,858 Median Starting Salary

East Carolina University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. ECU is a very large public university located in the small city of Greenville. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 255 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at ECU 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 $37,858.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
240 Communications Degrees Awarded
2.1% Growth in Graduates

NC State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Raleigh. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 240 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from North Carolina State University receive an earnings boost of about $3,039 over the average earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
321 Communications Degrees Awarded
3.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 321 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $38,234 in the first couple years of their career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Communications Degrees Awarded
$30,559 Median Starting Salary

UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the city of Greensboro. A Best Colleges rank of #549 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were roughly 176 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, communications degree recipients generally earn around $30,559 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
210 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,695 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #415 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were roughly 210 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communications program make an average of $36,695 in their early career salary.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Communications Degrees Awarded
1.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #401 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were about 83 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, communications degree recipients typically make around $38,331 in the first five years of their career.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Communications Degrees Awarded
$42,872 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 31st out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were roughly 62 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Queens in the most recent data year. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from Queens University of Charlotte make $6,022 more than the typical communications grad.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Queens University of Charlotte

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
Georgia 287 795
Florida 282 2,964
Virginia 274 2,053
Tennessee 269 1,000
South Carolina 248 796
Kentucky 244 785
Louisiana 242 815
Mississippi 234 307
Arkansas 234 457
Alabama 233 967
West Virginia 207 214

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 1,537
Communication & Media Studies 831
Communications 331
Other Communication & Media Studies 18

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 490
Communication & Journalism (Other) 317
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 275
Journalism 111

View All Communications 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