2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Communication & Journalism is the 11th most popular major in the country with 121,387 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 4,627 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,616 and $26,576 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 37 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,900 and $148,219 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 4 colleges that offered a degree in communication and journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois doctor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 4 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

#1 in overall quality

$56,567 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northwestern University is a large school located in Evanston, Illinois that handed out 9 doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois doctor’s degree communication & journalism students whose families make $0-$30k list, Northwestern has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Northwestern University

#2

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Champaign, Illinois

#2 in overall quality

$30,083 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. UIUC is located in Champaign, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees to qualified students.

UIUC also took the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UIUC are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Communication & Journalism Report

#3

Southern Illinois University Carbondale

Carbondale, Illinois

#3 in overall quality

$32,928 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #3 spot on the list. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees to 10 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Communication & Journalism Report

#4

University of Illinois at Chicago

Chicago, Illinois

#4 in overall quality

$27,036 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 4 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #4 spot on the list. University of Illinois at Chicago is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 1 doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UIC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Chicago are $27,036, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Journalism at UIC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k) in the Great Lakes Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Josh Hallett.

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