by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 22 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 573 doctor's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your doctor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality communications program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a doctor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 schools for communication & media studies students working on their doctor's 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 Doctor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for communication & media studies students seeking a a doctor's degree.
It's difficult to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & media studies. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Southern California
It's hard to beat Michigan State University if you wish to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from Michigan State University
It's difficult to beat University of Maryland - College Park if you want to pursue a doctor's degree in communication & media studies. UMCP is a very large public university located in the suburb of College Park.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Maryland - College Park
Any student who is interested in a doctor's degree in communication & media studies has to look into University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison
CU - Boulder is a very large public university located in the city of Boulder.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Colorado Boulder
ASU - Tempe is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tempe.
Doctorate students who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $68,920 in their early career salary.
More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from Arizona State University - Tempe
Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from The University of Texas at Austin
KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence.More information about a doctorate in communication & media studies from University of Kansas
View the Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 314 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 153 |
| Other Communication & Media Studies | 60 |
| Communications | 46 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 57 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 36 |
| Journalism | 14 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 5 |
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