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Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

110 Colleges
$32,706 Avg Salary
$25,824 Avg Student Debt

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

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Our analysis found Northwestern University to be the best school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the Great Lakes Region . 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

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 medium-sized 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.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Report

#3

DePauw University

Greencastle, IN

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.

Full Communication & Media Studies at DePauw University Report

#4

Denison University

Granville, OH

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Denison University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. 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

#5

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH

Out of the 110 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Dayton landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Dayton, UDayton is a private not-for-profit college 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.

Read More…

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 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 Champaign, UIUC is a public school with a fairly 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

University of Wisconsin - Madison came in at #7 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 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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#8

Wisconsin Lutheran College

Milwaukee, WI

Wisconsin Lutheran College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, WLC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wisconsin Lutheran College

#9

Lake Forest College

Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest 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 #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Lake Forest, Lake Forest is a private not-for-profit college 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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#10

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

With a ranking of #10, Purdue 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 small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a very 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Purdue University - Main Campus

#11

Saint Mary's College

Notre Dame, IN

With a ranking of #11, Saint Mary’s College 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 Notre Dame, St. Mary's College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Saint Mary’s College Report

#12

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State 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 #12 on the list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Michigan State University

Ohio State University - Main Campus landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public college 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.

Read More…

#14

John Carroll University

University Heights, OH

John Carroll University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the suburb of University Heights, John Carroll is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $547, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at John Carroll University

#15

Saint Norbert College

De Pere, WI

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 midsize suburb of De Pere, SNC is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Indiana University - Bloomington 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 #16 on the list. IU Bloomington is a very 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.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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