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2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

12 Ranked Colleges
203 Degrees Awarded
$22,200 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Illinois, there were 2,073 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,543 and $26,465 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 203 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 12 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and 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. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our 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.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 12 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 83 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UIUC

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. SIUE is a fairly large public school situated in Edwardsville, Illinois. It awarded 12 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, SIUE has also earned the #7 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUE are $9,300, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

#6 in overall quality

Out of the 12 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIC has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

#5

Eastern Illinois University

Charleston, Illinois
#5 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Illinois University. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Charleston, Illinois, and it awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at EIU, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at EIU are $20,761.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Illinois University

#9 in overall quality

University of Illinois at Springfield came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Springfield, Illinois, this small public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UIS also took the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIS are $16,757.

Full University of Illinois at Springfield Communication & Media Studies Report

#7

Governors State University

University Park, Illinois

Governors State University landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University Park, Illinois is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, GSU has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Governors State University are $14,674, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at GSU

#8

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

With a ranking of #8, Illinois State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 23 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Illinois State University Communication & Media Studies Report

#9

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

Northern Illinois University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Dekalb, Illinois, this fairly large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at NIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northern Illinois University

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. SIUC is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 15 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at SIUC

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, Northeastern Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northeastern Illinois University is a public institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northeastern Illinois University, the school also landed the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northeastern Illinois University are $17,032, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Northeastern Illinois University

#12

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #12, DePaul University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 21 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, DePaul has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at DePaul

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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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