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2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia

12 Colleges in Virginia
1,908 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,850 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #10 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

College Factual looked at 12 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,908 degrees in communication & media studies annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia The communications program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Communication & Media Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Communication & Media Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in Virginia list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies in Virginia

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the communications degree levels they offer.

10 Top Virginia Schools in Communications

1
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
409 Communications Degrees Awarded
$42,769 Median Starting Salary

James Madison University is a good option for students interested in a degree in communication & media studies. JMU is a very large public university located in the small city of Harrisonburg. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means JMU is a great university overall.

There were about 409 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from James Madison University make $5,919 more than the typical communications grad.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from James Madison University

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
223 Communications Degrees Awarded
$44,309 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Tech is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #58 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Virginia Tech is a great school overall.

There were approximately 223 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Virginia Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Virginia Tech earn $7,459 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Virginia Tech

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
221 Communications Degrees Awarded
$35,808 Median Starting Salary

Virginia Commonwealth University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the medium-sized city of Richmond, VCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #189 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means VCU is a great university overall.

There were about 221 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at VCU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career income of $35,808.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Virginia Commonwealth University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Communications Degrees Awarded
$36,953 Median Starting Salary

Christopher Newport University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in communication & media studies. CNU is a small public university located in the midsize city of Newport News. A Best Colleges rank of #479 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CNU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 89 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at CNU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $36,953 for their early career.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Christopher Newport University

5
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
317 Communications Degrees Awarded
0.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #265 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Liberty University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 317 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Liberty University in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,727.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Liberty University

6
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Communications Degrees Awarded
$38,038 Median Starting Salary

Radford is a moderately-sized public university located in the fringe town of Radford. A Best Colleges rank of #811 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Radford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 62 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Radford in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career income of $38,038.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Radford University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Communications Degrees Awarded
$40,328 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Ashland, Randolph - Macon is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 29th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were about 35 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Randolph - Macon in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies degree program at Randolph - Macon College get $3,478 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Randolph - Macon College

8
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In VA
64 Communications Degrees Awarded

Located in the distant town of Farmville, Longwood is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 31st out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 64 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Longwood in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Longwood University

9
Roanoke crest
Roanoke College
Salem, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Communications Degrees Awarded
33.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Salem, Roanoke is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 25th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 33 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Roanoke in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, communications degree recipients typically make about $36,220 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Roanoke College

10
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Communications Degrees Awarded
5.9% Growth in Graduates

Regent is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Virginia Beach. This university ranks 21st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 101 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Regent in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from Regent University earn a boost of about $6,631 over the typical income of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a degree 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
Georgia 287 795
Florida 282 2,964
North Carolina 279 2,968
Tennessee 269 1,000
South Carolina 248 796
Kentucky 244 785
Louisiana 242 815
Mississippi 234 307
Arkansas 234 457
Alabama 233 967
West Virginia 207 214

View All Rankings >

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

Communications Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 1,300
Communication & Media Studies 324
Communications 267
Other Communication & Media Studies 17

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 166
Journalism 164
Communication & Journalism (Other) 54
Public Relations & Advertising 53
Publishing 2

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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