College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools

19 Colleges in the United States
685 Doctor's Degrees
$70,955 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Journalismdoctorate programs are on the lower end of the spectrum in terms of popularity. In fact, the major degree program ranks #22 out of the 36 majors we look at each year. While this may limit the number of schools that offer the degree program, there are still top-quality ones to be found.

College Factual looked at 19 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 685 doctor's degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School for Your Doctor's Degree

Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools The communication & journalism doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communication & 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:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their doctor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their doctor'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 schools for communication & journalism students working on their doctor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communication & Journalism Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The communication & journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Communication & Journalism Doctor's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Doctorate Students to Study Communication & Journalism in the United States

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

10 Top Schools for a Doctorate in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a doctor's degree in communication & journalism 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 fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

2
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Michigan State University is a good choice for students pursuing a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Michigan State University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

University of Maryland - College Park is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Maryland - College Park

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
21 Annual Graduates

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is one of the best schools in the country for getting a doctor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
20 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Colorado Boulder

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from Arizona State University - Tempe

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Annual Graduates

UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from The University of Texas at Austin

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14 Annual Graduates

UIUC is a very large public university located in the small city of Champaign.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

10
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in communication & journalism from University of Kansas

Communication & Journalism by Region

View the Best Communication & Journalism Doctor'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

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 573
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 57
Public Relations & Advertising 36
Journalism 14
Communication & Journalism (Other) 5

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 3,723
Theology & Religious Vocations 2,718
English Language & Literature 1,184
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 1,110
History 807
Philosophy & Religious Studies 656
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 449
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 258
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 94

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options