2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

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 doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 31 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree 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.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. Northwestern is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 3 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Northwestern did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern University

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$67,660 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIUC Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$63,005 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. SIUC is a fairly large school located in Carbondale, Illinois that handed out 10 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SIUC also took the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’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 Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Chicago. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $30-$48k list. University of Illinois at Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UIC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #4. 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 UIC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.

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