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Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina

23 Colleges
$32,153 Avg Salary
$25,784 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, communication and media studies students earned 2,972 degrees and certificates from a North Carolina school, making the subject the 7th in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in North Carolina to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina

The following schools top our list of the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges.

Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools

#1

Wake Forest University

Winston-Salem, NC

Our 2023 rankings named Wake Forest University the best school in North Carolina for communication and media studies students. Wake Forest University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.

While working on their degree, communications majors at Wake Forest University accumulate an average of around $20,911 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $840, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Wake Forest University Report

#2

Elon University

Elon, NC

Out of the 23 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Elon University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from Elon carry an average student debtload of $24,819. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $664.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Elon University

Out of the 23 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill landed the # 3 spot on the list. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public school located in the city of Chapel Hill.

While working on their degree, communications majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $16,500 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $361, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

The excellent programs at Appalachian State University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in North Carolina. Located in the town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at Appalachian State accumulate an average of around $22,931 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $150, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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

#5

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Carolina University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at ECU take out is $24,673. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $298, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at East Carolina University Report

North Carolina State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. NC State is a very large public school located in the large city of Raleigh.

While working on their degree, communications majors at NC State accumulate an average of around $24,000 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $363.

Full Communication & Media Studies at North Carolina State University Report

University of North Carolina at Charlotte landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. UNC Charlotte is a very large public school located in the city of Charlotte.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debtload of $25,000. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $177.

Read More…

Queens University of Charlotte landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Charlotte, Queens is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, communications graduates from Queens take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Queens University of Charlotte

University of North Carolina at Wilmington ranked #9 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the midsize city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, communications graduates from UNCW take out $24,123 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $241, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of North Carolina at Wilmington

#10

Wingate University

Wingate, NC

Wingate University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Wingate is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wingate.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Wingate University

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 795
Virginia 2,064
Florida 3,020
Tennessee 1,000
Kentucky 787
South Carolina 796
Louisiana 815
Arkansas 457
Alabama 968
Mississippi 307
West Virginia 214

One of 5 majors within the area of study, communication and media studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

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 23 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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