2025 Best Communication Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
If you pursue a master's degree in
communication sciences, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #24 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
College Factual looked at 49 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Communication Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,459 master's degrees in communication sciences during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Communication Sciences School for Your Master's Degree
The communication sciences master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communication sciences 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 good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host 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.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to communication sciences students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - The number of communication sciences students who choose to seek a master's degree at the school.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for communication sciences to pay back their student loans after receiving their master's degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized communication sciences related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication sciences students working on their master's degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Communication Sciences Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Communication Sciences in the Great Lakes Region
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in communication sciences.
10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Communication Sciences
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in communication sciences. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Communication Sciences master's degree recipients from Northwestern University get an earnings boost of around $5,314 over the typical income of communication sciences majors.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Northwestern University
Any student who is interested in a master's degree in communication sciences has to check out University of Wisconsin - Madison. UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.
Students who graduate with their master's from the communication sciences program state that they receive average early career wages of $52,000.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Indiana University - Bloomington is a wonderful decision for students interested in a master's degree in communication sciences. Located in the small city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public university with a very large student population.
Soon after graduating, communication sciences master's recipients usually make about $56,195 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State University - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in communication sciences. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Master's students who receive their degree from the communication sciences program earn around $55,631 in their early career salary.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Ohio State University - Main Campus
UIUC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Champaign.
Master's recipients from the communication sciences major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $11,186 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the small city of East Lansing.
Students who graduate with their master's from the communication sciences program report average early career wages of $57,845.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Michigan State University
Located in the city of Cleveland, Case Western is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Case Western Reserve University
Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population.
After graduation, communication sciences master's recipients usually make about $49,965 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.
Master's recipients from the communication sciences major at Purdue University - Main Campus make $3,457 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the distant town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, communication sciences master's recipients usually make around $58,412 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a master’s in communication sciences from Ohio University - Athens Campus