by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 30 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,415 bachelor's degrees in journalism to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The journalism bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
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.
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.
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 schools for journalism students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in journalism. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $5,010 more than the typical journalism grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in journalism has to look into Michigan State University. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $36,912 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University
It is hard to beat Indiana University - Bloomington if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Indiana University - Bloomington earn a boost of approximately $4,060 over the average income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington
It is difficult to beat Ohio University - Athens Campus if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the distant town of Athens.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Ohio University - Athens Campus earn a boost of around $2,314 above the average earnings of journalism graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Ohio University - Athens Campus
Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, journalism bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $36,303 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Ball State is a very large public university located in the small city of Muncie.
After graduation, journalism bachelor's recipients generally earn around $31,398 in their early careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Ball State University
Kent State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Kent.
Soon after graduation, journalism bachelor's recipients typically make around $30,925 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Kent State University at Kent
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbus.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program report average early career income of $31,955.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Marquette University earn a boost of approximately $2,768 over the typical income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Marquette University
Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $32,840 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Miami University - OxfordExplore the best journalism colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Journalism | 1,339 |
| Photojournalism | 33 |
| Other Journalism | 32 |
| Broadcast Journalism | 11 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 7,234 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 2,901 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 1,709 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 103 |
| Publishing | 2 |
