2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 655 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for communications majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Communication & Media Studies
Our 2023 rankings named Santa Clara University the best school in the United States for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. SCU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Santa Clara.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from SCU carry an average student debtload of $16,450.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pennsylvania. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at UPenn take out an average of $17,520 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Pennsylvania
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $19,125 in student debt.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Northwestern University Report
Out of the 655 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, communications graduates from UC Berkeley take out $13,479 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $328.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Berkeley Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Wake Forest University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $840.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Wake Forest University Report
Cornell University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of Ithaca, Cornell is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from Cornell carry an average student debtload of $15,462.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cornell University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor ranked #7 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at U-M take out an average of $17,698 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $435, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
The University of Texas at Austin landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.
Communications majors at UT Austin take out an average of $20,445 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $362, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Communication & Media Studies at The University of Texas at Austin Report
With a ranking of #9, Colorado State University - Global Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Greenwood Village, Colorado State University - Global Campus is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, communications graduates from Colorado State University - Global Campus take out $30,069 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Boston College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Boston College is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chestnut Hill.
Communications majors at Boston College take out an average of $15,683 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $609.
The Graduate Center, CUNY did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Communications majors at The Graduate Center take out an average of $25,205 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
Full Communication & Media Studies at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
University of Southern California ranked #12 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at USC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,336. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $516.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern California Report
College of Saint Benedict did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #13 on the list. CSB is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Saint Joseph.
Full Communication & Media Studies at College of Saint Benedict Report
With a ranking of #14, Villanova University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $854.
With a ranking of #15, University of Delaware did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Newark, UD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $801, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Delaware Report
With a ranking of #16, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UCSB take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $14,455. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $322.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
Fairfield University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Fairfield U is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $602.
University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a very large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $21,010. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $531, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia Report
With a ranking of #19, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from UNC Chapel Hill carry an average student debtload of $16,013. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $361.
With a ranking of #20, Texas Christian University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $684, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #21, James Madison University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at JMU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,130. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $440.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at James Madison University
Elon University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Elon.
Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $664.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Elon University Report
DePauw University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and media studies students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the town of Greencastle, DePauw is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $467, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Denison University landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small suburb of Granville.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Denison accumulate an average of around $20,922 in student debt.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Denison University Report
University of Dayton came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $471.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Dayton Report
Rest of the Top 50 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This section shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 655 different United States communication and media studies schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
Communication & Media Studies by Region
View the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings
Communication & Media Studies Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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