2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 66,787 communication and media studies students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 110 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best bachelor's degree programs for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Colleges.
Top 15% Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Northwestern University the best school in the Great Lakes Region for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Northwestern accumulate an average of around $19,125 in student debt.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very 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.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means DePauw University is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant 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.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Denison University is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Denison is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Granville.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Denison accumulate an average of around $20,922 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Dayton. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly 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.
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #6 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UIUC take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,713. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $296.
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University of Wisconsin - Madison ranked #7 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at UW - Madison accumulate an average of around $20,723 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $432.
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Wisconsin Lutheran College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Lake Forest College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from Lake Forest carry an average student debtload of $26,895.
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Purdue University - Main Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from Purdue carry an average student debtload of $18,976. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $368, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Mary’s College 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 suburb of Notre Dame, St. Mary's College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #12, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
On average, communications graduates from Michigan State take out $26,210 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $444, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #13, Ohio State University - Main 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 city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a very large student population.
Communications majors at Ohio State take out an average of $23,263 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $286.
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John Carroll University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the large suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $547, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Saint Norbert College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of De Pere, SNC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bloomington.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at IU Bloomington take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,772. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $534.
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Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Media Studies students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 17 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 18 | Hanover College | Hanover, IN |
| 19 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 20 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 21 | Wheaton College Illinois | Wheaton, IL |
| 22 | Hope College | Holland, MI |
Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best communication and media studies schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 1,789 |
| Ohio | 2,149 |
| Illinois | 2,072 |
| Indiana | 1,600 |
| Wisconsin | 1,297 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Communication & Media Studies Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Communications
| 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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