2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree School for You
With 66,787 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, communication and media studies is the #10 most popular major in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 140 schools in the Southeast Region 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.
2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for communications majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.
Top 15% Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor's Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Wake Forest University the best school in the Southeast Region for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Wake Forest University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.
The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $840, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
On average, communications graduates from UNC Chapel Hill take out $16,013 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $361, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend James Madison University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.
Communications majors at JMU take out an average of $20,130 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $440, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Elon University is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized 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 $664.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at Virginia Tech accumulate an average of around $21,116 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $444.
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Furman University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Furman is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Greenville.
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Samford University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Samford is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Birmingham.
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Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Louisiana State University is a very large public school located in the city of Baton Rouge.
On average, communications graduates from Louisiana State University take out $20,954 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $296, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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University of Georgia landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, UGA is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at UGA accumulate an average of around $22,195 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $262, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Appalachian State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public college with a very large student population.
Communications majors at Appalachian State take out an average of $21,282 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $150, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Randolph - Macon College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Ashland, Randolph - Macon is a private not-for-profit school with a small 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 $629.
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With a ranking of #12, East Carolina 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 small city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a fairly large student population.
On average, communications graduates from ECU take out $22,625 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $298, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Christopher Newport University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Newport News, CNU is a public college with a small student population.
This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $382, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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North Carolina State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. NC State is a very large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, communications graduates from NC State carry an average student debtload of $21,423. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $363.
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With a ranking of #15, Roanoke College did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students working on their bachelor’s degree. Roanoke is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Salem.
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Belmont University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Belmont is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Nashville.
When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $811.
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University of Arkansas came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, communications majors at UARK accumulate an average of around $22,990 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $293.
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Marymount University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Arlington, Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
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The University of Tennessee - Knoxville came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. UT Knoxville is a very large public school located in the city of Knoxville.
Communications majors at UT Knoxville take out an average of $19,295 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $471, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Tulane University of Louisiana ranked #20 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large city of New Orleans, Tulane is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
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Bellarmine 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 #21 on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Bellarmine University
Request InformationHonorable Mentions
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 in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | College of Charleston | Charleston, SC |
| 23 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 24 | King University | Bristol, TN |
| 25 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 26 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS |
| 27 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 28 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State
Explore the best communication and media studies schools for a specific state in the Southeast region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 795 |
| Virginia | 2,064 |
| North Carolina | 2,972 |
| Florida | 3,020 |
| Tennessee | 1,000 |
| Kentucky | 787 |
| South Carolina | 796 |
| Louisiana | 815 |
| Arkansas | 457 |
| Alabama | 968 |
| Mississippi | 307 |
| West Virginia | 214 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in the Southeast Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Communications
One of 5 majors within the area of study, communication and media studies has other similar majors worth exploring.
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.
More about our data sources and methodologies.