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2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region

191 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
8,125 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,111 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #6 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 191 colleges and universities when compiling its 2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,125 bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of school for getting your bachelor's degree in communications matters. As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region ranking.

Being popular does not always equate to overall quality, but a school with a large number of communication and media studies students usually has them for a reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Associate Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications
Overall Popularity in Communications

This ranking is just one of the many we have created. First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above. Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location. Plus, you can view our other rankings for communication and media studies.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Communications Students Working on Their Bachelor's

1
485 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#3 Best Quality In OH

Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Ohio.

There were roughly 485 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus make $5,789 more than the standard communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Ohio State University - Main Campus

2
472 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#1 Best Quality In IN

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Indiana University - Bloomington if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Indiana.

There were about 472 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication and media studies program at Indiana University - Bloomington make $3,089 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Indiana University - Bloomington

3
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
455 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MI
#2 Best Quality In MI

Michigan State University is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Michigan.

There were approximately 455 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication and media studies degree program at Michigan State University get $4,089 above the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Michigan State University

4
332 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WI
#7 Best Quality In WI

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies needs to check out University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee. UWM is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Milwaukee. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Wisconsin.

There were about 332 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program earn an average of $32,700 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

5
317 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#2 Best Quality In IL

UIUC is a very large public university located in the city of Champaign. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Illinois.

There were about 317 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn a boost of around $5,989 above the average income of communication and media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6
290 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In WI
#1 Best Quality In WI

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Wisconsin.

There were approximately 290 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career earnings of $32,800.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
242 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In MI
#1 Best Quality In MI

Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Michigan.

There were roughly 242 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $9,389 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

8
214 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In OH
#10 Best Quality In OH

Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a very large student population.

There were roughly 214 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program make an average of $31,100 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Ohio University - Athens Campus

9
202 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In OH
#7 Best Quality In OH

Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Ohio.

There were roughly 202 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication and media studies major at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus get $2,389 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

10
198 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In OH
#14 Best Quality In OH

Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a very large student population.

There were approximately 198 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career wages of $32,200.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Kent State University at Kent

11
172 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#6 Best Quality In IL

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Illinois.

There were about 172 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career earnings of $33,100.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Illinois State University

12
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
168 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In IL
#10 Best Quality In IL

DePaul is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Chicago.

There were roughly 168 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $30,900 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from DePaul University

13
164 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In IL
#9 Best Quality In IL

Located in the small suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #9 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Illinois.

There were approximately 164 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at NIU in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,000.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Northern Illinois University

14
Oakland crest
Oakland University
Rochester Hills, MI
146 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In MI
#7 Best Quality In MI

Located in the suburb of Rochester Hills, Oakland is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Michigan.

There were roughly 146 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $31,900.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Oakland University

15
141 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In MI
#11 Best Quality In MI

Located in the suburb of Ypsilanti, Eastern Michigan is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were about 141 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Eastern Michigan in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program make around $29,500 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Eastern Michigan University

15
141 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In WI
#5 Best Quality In WI

Located in the distant town of Whitewater, UW - Whitewater is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Wisconsin.

There were approximately 141 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UW - Whitewater in the most recent year we have data available.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater receive $2,189 more than the average communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

17
140 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In OH
#2 Best Quality In OH

Located in the midsize city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Ohio.

There were roughly 140 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent data year.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Dayton make $6,389 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Dayton

18
131 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IN
#3 Best Quality In IN

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Indiana.

There were roughly 131 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Purdue University - Main Campus earn $3,989 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Purdue University - Main Campus

19
128 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In IL
#12 Best Quality In IL

SIUE is a large public university located in the large suburb of Edwardsville.

There were roughly 128 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at SIUE in the most recent data year.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career wages of $27,600.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

20
Ashland crest
Ashland University
Ashland, OH
110 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#6 Most Popular In OH
#9 Best Quality In OH

Located in the fringe town of Ashland, Ashland is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #9 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Ohio.

There were approximately 110 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at Ashland in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Ashland University

21
105 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In MI
#6 Best Quality In MI

Located in the large suburb of Allendale, GVSU is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Michigan.

There were roughly 105 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at GVSU in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program make about $29,000 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Grand Valley State University

22
103 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In WI
#2 Best Quality In WI

UW - La Crosse is a large public university located in the small city of La Crosse. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Wisconsin.

There were approximately 103 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UW - La Crosse in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career income of $34,100.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Wisconsin - La Crosse

23
101 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#6 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Illinois.

There were about 101 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication and media studies degree program at Northwestern University get $10,489 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from Northwestern University

24
90 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Most Popular In WI
#11 Best Quality In WI

UW - Stevens Point is a moderately-sized public university located in the distant town of Stevens Point.

There were roughly 90 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stevens Point in the most recent year we have data available.

After graduation, communications bachelor's recipients generally make about $30,400 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point

25
86 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#7 Most Popular In IL
#7 Best Quality In IL

Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in Illinois.

There were roughly 86 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Chicago get an earnings boost of approximately $2,689 over the typical earnings of communication and media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Illinois at Chicago

25
26
26
Denison crest
Denison University
Granville, OH
28

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Media Studies students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
29 Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN
30 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
31 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN
32 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
33 Ball State University Muncie, IN
33 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
35 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
36 University of Michigan - Dearborn Dearborn, MI
37 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
38 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the most popular communication and media studies colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 255 1,632
Ohio 246 1,976
Illinois 231 1,925
Indiana 227 1,406
Wisconsin 209 1,210

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 4,380
Communications 1,833
Communication & Media Studies 1,555
Other Communication & Media Studies 357

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 3,035
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 1,811
Journalism 1,771
Communication & Journalism (Other) 108

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
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Degree Guides by Major
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