2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking.
Communication & Media Studies is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 9th of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 68,079 degrees were awarded to students with this major. 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 Southwest region, there were 6,313 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $32,423 and $24,273 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 5,234 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking looked at 55 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.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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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 Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k”.
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Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k.
Top 26 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Southwest Region
Out of the 55 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley landed the #1 spot on the list. The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is located in Edinburg, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 135 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Rio Grande Valley, the school also landed the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is $11,400 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full UT Rio Grande Valley Communication & Media Studies Report
Out of the 55 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, The University of Texas at Austin landed the #2 spot on the list. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 272 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UT Austin, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $20,454 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend The University of Texas at Austin.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full The University of Texas at Austin Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Texas A&M International University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Laredo, Texas is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 36 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Texas A&M International University is $8,807 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Texas A&M International University
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k. The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is a public institution located in Odessa, Texas. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 46 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k list, UT Permian Basin has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UT Permian Basin is $10,923 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Full The University of Texas of the Permian Basin Communication & Media Studies Report
Out of the 55 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Arizona landed the #5 spot on the list. Tucson, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 280 students in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $20,200 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Arizona
Southeastern Oklahoma State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Southeastern Oklahoma State University is a public institution located in Durant, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $12,771 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State University.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Southeastern Oklahoma State University
Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #7. Located in Tempe, Arizona, this large public school awarded 432 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #7. The estimated yearly cost for Arizona State University - Tempe is $17,373 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe
With a ranking of #8, The University of Texas at San Antonio did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in San Antonio, Texas, this large public school awarded 289 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
UTSA also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. The yearly cost to attend The University of Texas at San Antonio is $18,275 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
University of Phoenix - Arizona ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UOPX - Arizona is a large school located in Tempe, Arizona that handed out 256 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
UOPX - Arizona did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $17,013 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend UOPX - Arizona.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UOPX - Arizona
MSU Texas landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Wichita Falls, Texas, and it awarded 27 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,146 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend MSU Texas.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at MSU Texas
East Central University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Located in Ada, Oklahoma, this small public school handed out 22 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
It costs about $15,029 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend East Central University.
The University of Texas at El Paso landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. UTEP is a large school located in El Paso, Texas that handed out 13 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for UTEP is $15,123 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Full The University of Texas at El Paso Communication & Media Studies Report
The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #13. The University of Texas at Arlington is a public institution located in Arlington, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 247 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UT Arlington also took the #12 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for The University of Texas at Arlington is $16,473 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UT Arlington
Arizona State University - Skysong came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. ASU - Skysong is a public institution located in Scottsdale, Arizona. The school has a large population, and it awarded 469 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
ASU - Skysong did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend ASU - Skysong is $20,321 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at ASU - Skysong
University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Houston, Texas, this large public school handed out 45 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UH, the school also landed the #16 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend UH is $18,844 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Houston
Texas A&M University - College Station ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Texas A&M University - College Station is a large school located in College Station, Texas that handed out 346 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k list, Texas A&M College Station has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M College Station is $26,028 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station
Trinity University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Trinity U is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Antonio, Texas. It awarded 40 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k list, Trinity U has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Trinity U is $24,520 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Trinity University
Texas Tech University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #17. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 77 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Texas Tech, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $21,305 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Texas Tech University.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Texas Tech University
Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. Portales, New Mexico is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s communications degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for ENMU - Main Campus is $13,703 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
With a ranking of #19, University of Houston - Downtown did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. UH Downtown is located in Houston, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 82 bachelors’s communications degrees to qualified students.
The estimated yearly cost for UH Downtown is $13,592 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Houston - Downtown
With a ranking of #20, Angelo State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in San Angelo, Texas, this fairly large public school awarded 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Angelo State, the school also landed the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Angelo State University is $18,535 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
Full Angelo State University Communication & Media Studies Report
With a ranking of #21, Texas State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. This large school is located in San Marcos, Texas, and it awarded 170 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $19,683 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Texas State.
Stephen F Austin State University ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. SFASU is a fairly large public school situated in Nacogdoches, Texas. It awarded 69 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $18,653 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend SFASU.
Northern Arizona University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking, coming in at #23. NAU is a large school located in Flagstaff, Arizona that handed out 71 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $16,535 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend NAU.
Full Northern Arizona University Communication & Media Studies Report
Sam Houston State University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k list. Located in Huntsville, Texas, this large public school handed out 177 degrees to qualified bachelors’s communications students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k list, SHSU has also earned the #20 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $19,531 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k per year to attend Sam Houston State University.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Sam Houston State University
Northeastern State University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $75-$110k ranking. NSU is a medium-sized school located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma that handed out 9 bachelors’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NSU is $15,029 for southwest region bachelor’s degree communications students whose families make $75-$110k.
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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.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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