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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges in Virginia
1,739 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,109 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 12 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,739 bachelor's degrees in communication & media studies during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia The communications bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communications program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. 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.

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

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete 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.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 in Virginia 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 Virginia

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies.

10 Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Communications

1
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
413 Annual Graduates
$42,769 Median Starting Salary
$52,173 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to check out James Madison University. JMU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from James Madison University earn $6,660 more than the average communications student.

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

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
225 Annual Graduates
$44,309 Median Starting Salary
$42,378 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies needs to check out Virginia Tech. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a very large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech earn $8,200 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Virginia Tech

3
191 Annual Graduates
$35,808 Median Starting Salary
$19,872 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Virginia Commonwealth University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, communications bachelor's recipients generally make around $35,808 at the beginning of their careers.

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

4
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
196 Annual Graduates
$35,392 Median Starting Salary
$53,505 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & media studies has to look into Liberty University. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career wages of $35,392.

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

5
81 Annual Graduates
$36,953 Median Starting Salary
$29,315 Median Student Debt

CNU is a small public university located in the medium-sized city of Newport News.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $36,953 in their early career salary.

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

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
36 Annual Graduates
$38,038 Median Starting Salary
$17,867 Median Student Debt

Radford is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Radford.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career wages of $38,038.

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

7
13 Annual Graduates
$40,328 Median Starting Salary
$63,842 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Ashland, Randolph - Macon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from Randolph - Macon College receive $4,219 more than the average communications student.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Randolph - Macon College

8
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, VA
52 Annual Graduates
$36,062 Median Starting Salary
$46,342 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Farmville, Longwood is a public university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program state that they receive average early career wages of $36,062.

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

9
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, VA

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program make around $36,220 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication & media studies from Roanoke College

10
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA
50 Annual Graduates
$29,313 Median Starting Salary
$26,529 Median Student Debt

Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the communications program make around $29,313 in their early career salary.

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

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 2,598
Georgia 224 680
Tennessee 220 910
North Carolina 213 2,828
South Carolina 195 768
Kentucky 187 716
Alabama 184 857
Louisiana 171 765
Mississippi 169 261
Arkansas 167 441
West Virginia 147 132

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

Communications Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,066
Communication & Media Studies 428
Communications 245

Majors Similar to Communications

Related Major Annual Graduates
Journalism 97
Communication & Journalism (Other) 61
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 57
Public Relations & Advertising 32

Notes and References

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