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2025 Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools

164 Colleges in the United States
12,283 Master's Degrees
$54,691 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, a master's degree in communication & journalism sits in the middle of the road, ranking #15 out of 37 majors in the country. So, it might take a little more work to find colleges and universities that offer the degree program.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 164 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for communication & journalism students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12,283 master's degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools The communication & journalism master'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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master'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 master'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 Master's Degree Schools.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Communication & Journalism in the United States

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in communication & journalism. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Schools for a Master's in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
474 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in communication & journalism has to look into Northwestern University. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
487 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a good option for students pursuing a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
136 Annual Graduates

George Washington University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from George Washington University

4
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
297 Annual Graduates

Boston University is a good decision for students pursuing a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Boston University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus

6
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
12 Annual Graduates

Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Villanova University

7
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Syracuse University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Annual Graduates

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

9
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
193 Annual Graduates

UF is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Gainesville.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Florida

10
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Annual Graduates

Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Temple University

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Annual Graduates

DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Denver.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Denver

12
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
120 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from American University

13
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
279 Annual Graduates

NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from New York University

14
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

15
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Annual Graduates

UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

16
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

17
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Iowa

18
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10 Annual Graduates

UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the city of Madison.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

19
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Savannah College of Art and Design

20
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
28 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Nebraska - Lincoln

21
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Baylor University

22
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Annual Graduates

UGA is a fairly large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Georgia

23
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
85 Annual Graduates

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

24
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

UCONN is a very large public university located in the fringe town of Storrs.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Connecticut

25
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Annual Graduates

Michigan State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Michigan State University

Rest of the Top Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools

26
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
27
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
28
29
30
31
32
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
33 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
34 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
35 Auburn University Auburn, AL
36 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
37 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
38 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
39 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
40 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
41 University of Delaware Newark, DE
42 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
43 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
44 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
45 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
46 Florida International University Miami, FL
47 Butler University Indianapolis, IN
48 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
49 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
50 Chapman University Orange, CA
51 Washington State University Pullman, WA
52 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
53 The New School New York, NY
54 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY

Communication & Journalism by Region

View the Best Communication & Journalism Master'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

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Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 4,471
Public Relations & Advertising 2,855
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 2,736
Journalism 1,474
Communication & Journalism (Other) 575
Publishing 172

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 17,401
Theology & Religious Vocations 13,436
English Language & Literature 8,169
History 3,531
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 2,950
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 2,867
Philosophy & Religious Studies 2,236
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 1,863
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 1,850

Notes and References

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