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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

590 Colleges in the United States
53,798 Bachelor's Degrees
$32,706 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #5 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 590 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of communication & media studies. Combined, these schools handed out 53,798 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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 bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communications Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Communication & Media Studies in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & 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 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Communications

1
336 Annual Graduates
$46,379 Median Starting Salary
$17,702 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Southern California receive an earnings boost of around $13,673 over the typical income of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Southern California

2
111 Annual Graduates
$48,590 Median Starting Salary
$18,112 Median Student Debt

Northwestern University is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from Northwestern University earn a boost of approximately $15,884 above the average income of communication & media studies graduates.

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

3
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
71 Annual Graduates
$50,120 Median Starting Salary
$15,637 Median Student Debt

University of Pennsylvania is a good option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. UPenn is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies major at University of Pennsylvania make $17,414 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Pennsylvania

4
272 Annual Graduates
$45,761 Median Starting Salary
$20,376 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat University of Michigan - Ann Arbor if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor get an earnings boost of approximately $13,055 over the average income of communication & media studies majors.

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

5
637 Annual Graduates
$37,726 Median Starting Salary
$15,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $5,020 above the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

6
87 Annual Graduates
$44,071 Median Starting Salary
$14,418 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Cornell University make $11,365 more than the average communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Cornell University

7
308 Annual Graduates
$38,661 Median Starting Salary
$19,500 Median Student Debt

UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Champaign.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,955 above the typical earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

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

8
257 Annual Graduates
$46,014 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at The University of Texas at Austin get $13,308 above the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from The University of Texas at Austin

9
268 Annual Graduates
$48,287 Median Starting Salary
$11,180 Median Student Debt

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at University of California - Berkeley earn $15,581 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of California - Berkeley

10
316 Annual Graduates
$36,006 Median Starting Salary
$23,250 Median Student Debt

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison get an earnings boost of around $3,300 over the average income of communication & media studies majors.

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

11
300 Annual Graduates
$38,895 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies program at University of California - Davis earn $6,189 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of California - Davis

12
462 Annual Graduates
$41,054 Median Starting Salary
$13,018 Median Student Debt

UCSB is a very large public university located in the suburb of Santa Barbara.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Santa Barbara make $8,348 more than the typical communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

13
387 Annual Graduates
$38,932 Median Starting Salary
$17,782 Median Student Debt

Texas A&M College Station is a very large public university located in the midsize city of College Station.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University - College Station make $6,226 more than the standard communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Texas A&M University - College Station

14
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
142 Annual Graduates
$53,040 Median Starting Salary
$18,500 Median Student Debt

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Santa Clara University earn $20,334 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Santa Clara University

15
267 Annual Graduates
$34,173 Median Starting Salary
$14,568 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career income of $34,173.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of California - San Diego

16
404 Annual Graduates
$37,823 Median Starting Salary
$16,433 Median Student Debt

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus earn $5,117 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

17
278 Annual Graduates
$41,724 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a very large student population.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Maryland - College Park get an earnings boost of around $9,018 above the typical income of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Maryland - College Park

18
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
506 Annual Graduates
$37,107 Median Starting Salary
$26,750 Median Student Debt

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the city of East Lansing.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Michigan State University receive $4,401 more than the standard communications graduate.

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

19
440 Annual Graduates
$35,709 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Indiana University - Bloomington earn $3,003 above the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

20
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
150 Annual Graduates
$42,160 Median Starting Salary
$26,456 Median Student Debt

Villanova is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Villanova University get $9,454 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Villanova University

21
167 Annual Graduates
$42,482 Median Starting Salary
$21,500 Median Student Debt

TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas Christian University earn $9,776 more than the average communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Texas Christian University

22
149 Annual Graduates
$37,574 Median Starting Salary
$18,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Purdue University - Main Campus receive $4,868 more than the typical communications student.

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

23
296 Annual Graduates
$41,289 Median Starting Salary
$19,750 Median Student Debt

University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Arizona receive $8,583 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Arizona

24
174 Annual Graduates
$40,409 Median Starting Salary
$17,500 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at University of Colorado Boulder earn $7,703 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Colorado Boulder

25
317 Annual Graduates
$38,660 Median Starting Salary
$25,125 Median Student Debt

UMass Amherst is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Amherst.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of Massachusetts Amherst get an earnings boost of approximately $5,954 over the average income of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from University of Massachusetts Amherst

Rest of the Top 50 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools

26
27
28
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA
29
30
31
32

33
Wake Forest University crest
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC

34
35
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA
36
37
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
38
39
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
40
Bryant crest
Bryant University
Smithfield, RI
41
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

42
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA

43
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
44
45
46
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
47
48
49
50

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 590 different United States communication & media studies schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 George Washington University Washington, DC
52 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
53 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
54 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
55 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
56 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
57 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
58 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
59 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
60 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
61 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
62 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
63 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
64 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
65 Fordham University Bronx, NY
66 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
67 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
68 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
69 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
70 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
71 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
72 Chapman University Orange, CA
73 DePaul University Chicago, IL
74 Illinois State University Normal, IL
75 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
76 Florida International University Miami, FL
77 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
78 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
79 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
80 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
81 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
82 Pepperdine University Malibu, CA
83 Denison University Granville, OH
84 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
85 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
86 American University Washington, DC
87 Belmont University Nashville, TN
88 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Media Studies students that almost earned our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
89 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
90 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
91 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA
92 Concordia College at Moorhead Moorhead, MN
93 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
94 Elon University Elon, NC
95 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
96 Furman University Greenville, SC
97 Auburn University Auburn, AL
98 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
99 Emerson College Boston, MA
100 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
101 Iowa State University Ames, IA
102 University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
103 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
104 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
105 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
106 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
107 California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA
108 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
109 Boise State University Boise, ID
110 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
111 Emory University Atlanta, GA
111 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
112 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
113 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
114 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
115 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
116 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
117 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
118 Xavier University Cincinnati, OH

Communication & Media Studies by Region

View the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

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Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 32,204
Communications 10,682
Communication & Media Studies 8,804
Other Communication & Media Studies 2,108

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 17,097
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 11,580
Journalism 11,502
Communication & Journalism (Other) 693
Publishing 87

Notes and References

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