If you pursue a associate degree in
communication & media studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 7 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in New York ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 273 associate degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality communications program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average Earnings
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to communication & media studies students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other communication & media studies students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for communication & media studies to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized communication & media studies related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication & media studies students working on their associate degree.
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 the Best Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in New York.
,_Helsinki_Finland_(11643271925).jpg){kind=link}