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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

7 Ranked Colleges
35 Degrees Awarded
$22,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

In 2019-2020, 68,079 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Plains States region, there were 3,723 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,583 and $25,858 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 35 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $72,701 and $106,703 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 7 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k”.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for plains states region doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 7 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Plains States Region

#1

University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, Minnesota
#2 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UMN Twin Cities also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UMN Twin Cities are $28,845, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UMN Twin Cities Communication & Media Studies Report

#3 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Lincoln, Nebraska is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.

UNL also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nebraska - Lincoln are $19,513, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full University of Nebraska - Lincoln Communication & Media Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k. North Dakota State University is a public institution located in Fargo, North Dakota. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at North Dakota State University, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at North Dakota State University are $11,589, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at North Dakota State University

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Missouri - Columbia is a large school located in Columbia, Missouri that handed out 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Mizzou also took the #6 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Mizzou are $27,193.

Full Mizzou Communication & Media Studies Report

#5

University of Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
#5 in overall quality

Out of the 7 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Iowa landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Iowa City, Iowa, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Iowa also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” list, coming in at #5. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Iowa are $27,613, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Iowa

#6

University of North Dakota

Grand Forks, North Dakota
#7 in overall quality

University of North Dakota came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UND is a fairly large school located in Grand Forks, North Dakota that handed out 1 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UND, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Dakota are $18,326, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of North Dakota Communication & Media Studies Report

#7

University of Kansas

Lawrence, Kansas
#1 in overall quality

University of Kansas landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in the Plains States Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Lawrence, Kansas, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at KU, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in the Plains States Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at KU are $25,007.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at KU

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Notes and References

References

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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