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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

41 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
727 Master's Degrees
$48,158 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 41 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for communication & media studies students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 727 master's degrees in communication & media studies during the 2020-2021 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 full 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

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

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

Master's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Purdue University - Main Campus get $14,726 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

1

Northwestern University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Communication & Media Studies master's degree recipients from Northwestern University earn a boost of approximately $19,963 over the average income of communication & media studies majors.

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

2
11 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in communication & media studies has to check out University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
7 Annual Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a good option for students interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
9 Annual Graduates

Indiana University - Bloomington is a wonderful option for individuals interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

5
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
8 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Michigan State University

6
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI

Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Master's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make about $49,215 in their early career salary.

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

7
8 Annual Graduates

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

8
12 Annual Graduates

UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dayton.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Dayton

9
3 Annual Graduates

Kent State is a very large public university located in the suburb of Kent.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Kent State University at Kent

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & media studies colleges 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 535
Communications 126
Communication & Media Studies 34
Other Communication & Media Studies 32

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 455
Public Relations & Advertising 187
Journalism 95
Communication & Journalism (Other) 8

Notes and References

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