by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,297 bachelor's degrees in journalism to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of journalism for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality journalism program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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 take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 journalism students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in journalism.
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in journalism has to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the city of Austin.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism degree program at The University of Texas at Austin get $5,508 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin
Arizona State University - Tempe is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in journalism. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe earn a boost of around $8,777 above the typical income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Arizona State University - Tempe
It is hard to beat University of North Texas if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. UNT is a fairly large public university located in the city of Denton.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism major at University of North Texas make $4,290 more than the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of North Texas
Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in journalism needs to take a look at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus. University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus make $2,916 more than the average journalism grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
Located in the midsize city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the journalism program earn an average of $35,675 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Baylor University
University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from University of Arizona get an earnings boost of about $2,693 above the average earnings of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Arizona
SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism program at Southern Methodist University earn $6,674 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Southern Methodist University
TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Texas Christian University
UH is a fairly large public university located in the city of Houston.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism major at University of Houston make $2,398 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Houston
Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $29,622.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Texas Tech UniversityExplore the best journalism schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 245 | 800 |
| Arizona | 200 | 306 |
| Oklahoma | 190 | 401 |
| New Mexico | 133 | 70 |
Journalism is one of 5 different types of Communication & Journalism programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Journalism | 937 |
| Other Journalism | 183 |
| Broadcast Journalism | 166 |
| Photojournalism | 11 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 4,954 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 2,092 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 1,672 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 16 |
