2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) in Illinois

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 Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k” ranking, we looked at 4 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and media studies programs that also have a lower cost than 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 $75-$110k” 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. 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 Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) 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 $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #1 spot on the list. Northwestern is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Evanston, Illinois. It awarded 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. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern

#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 $75-$110k. 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 took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UIUC

#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 $75-$110k list. Located in Carbondale, Illinois, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s communications students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’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.

Full SIUC Communication & Media Studies Report

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $75-$110k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UIC Communication & Media Studies Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $75-$110k)

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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