2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. 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 $48-$75k” ranking looked at 4 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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

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 Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k” list to help you make the college 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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Northwestern also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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 $48-$75k. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #2. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#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 $48-$75k list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 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 SIUC are $32,928.

Full SIUC Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Chicago. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $48-$75k. UIC 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 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 University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Chicago

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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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