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2024 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

111 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
17,907 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$34,371 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in communication & journalism is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #11 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 111 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of communication & journalism. Combined, these schools handed out 17,907 degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School

Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of communication & journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for communication & journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Communication & Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Bachelor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Master's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism

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 Schools in the Great Lakes Region. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.


 

Best Schools for Communication & Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

The schools below may not offer all types of communication & journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

16 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
823 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$52,939 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & journalism. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 823 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Northwestern University earn $18,568 more than the average college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Northwestern University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
277 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
11.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in communication & journalism. U-M is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 277 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor get an earnings boost of approximately $11,390 above the typical income of communication & journalism graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
803 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
0.5% Growth in Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were approximately 803 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Madison receive $13,108 more than the typical communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
391 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$53,099 Median Starting Salary

Purdue University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & journalism. Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 391 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Purdue University - Main Campus earn $18,728 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
627 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$45,800 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 627 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $11,429 more than the typical communication & journalism grad.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

6
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,336 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
8.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 1336 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communication & journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $35,335.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Michigan State University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
593 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,229 Median Starting Salary

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the small city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 593 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Indiana University - Bloomington earn $2,857 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
656 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 656 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the communication & journalism program earn around $33,349 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Ohio State University - Main Campus

9
Graduate Certificate Highest Degree Type
388 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$39,922 Median Starting Salary

Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #116 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 388 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Miami University - Oxford earn $5,550 more than the average communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Miami University - Oxford

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
11.5% Growth in Graduates

UDayton is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dayton. This university ranks 6th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 174 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UDayton in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of Dayton make $5,485 more than the standard communication & journalism graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Dayton

11
Marquette crest
Marquette University
Milwaukee, WI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
178 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,951 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #130 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Marquette is a great university overall.

There were approximately 178 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Marquette in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism degree program at Marquette University get $3,580 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Marquette University

12
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
638 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,715 Median Starting Salary

OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Athens. This university ranks 9th out of 96 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 638 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communication & journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $33,715.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Ohio University - Athens Campus

13
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
503 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
13.5% Growth in Graduates

UC is a very large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. This university ranks 5th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 503 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, communication & journalism degree recipients usually earn an average of $31,293 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

14
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
455 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,400 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 455 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at DePaul University get $4,029 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from DePaul University

15
Denison crest
Denison University
Granville, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,133 Median Starting Salary

Denison is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Granville. A Best Colleges rank of #162 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Denison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 48 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Denison in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at Denison University earn $3,762 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Denison University

16
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
93 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$36,966 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Peoria, Bradley is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 14th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 93 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Bradley in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from Bradley University earn a boost of around $2,595 above the typical earnings of communication & journalism majors.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Bradley University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Journalism students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
18 Ball State University Muncie, IN
19 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
20 Lake Forest College Lake Forest, IL
21 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
22 Saint Norbert College De Pere, WI
23 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
24 Wheaton College Illinois Wheaton, IL
25 Illinois State University Normal, IL

Best Communication & Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & journalism colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 2,661
Michigan 38 3,516
Ohio 38 3,890
Illinois 38 4,238
Wisconsin 37 1,988

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 9,064
Public Relations & Advertising 3,669
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 3,416
Journalism 1,618
Communication & Journalism (Other) 138
Publishing 2

View All Communication & Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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