Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools

1,406 Colleges
$34,115 Avg Salary
$25,414 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,406 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Communication & Media Studies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for communications majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Fullerton the most popular school in the United States for communication and media studies students. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Communications majors at Cal State Fullerton take out an average of $14,415 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $167.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Fullerton

The excellent programs at Arizona State University - Skysong helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the United States. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Communications majors at ASU - Skysong take out an average of $22,750 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Arizona State University - Skysong

#3

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Full Sail University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Full Sail University is a fairly large private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Winter Park.

Communications majors at Full Sail University take out an average of $31,430 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $121, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Full Sail University Report

The excellent programs at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the United States. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $16,500 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $361.

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

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Ohio State University - Main Campus is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at Ohio State accumulate an average of around $24,400 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $286.

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

Florida International University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. FIU is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Miami.

While working on their degree, communications majors at FIU accumulate an average of around $17,959 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $59, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Florida International University

University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

While working on their degree, communications majors at USC accumulate an average of around $17,750 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $516.

Read More…

#8

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the city of East Lansing.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Michigan State take out is $27,000. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $444, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Sac State take out is $15,000. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $136.

Read More…

Arizona State University - Tempe ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public college with a very large student population.

Communications majors at ASU - Tempe take out an average of $22,750 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Arizona State University - Tempe

Texas A&M University - College Station came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Texas A&M College Station is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of College Station.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Texas A&M College Station take out is $17,780. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $243.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Texas A&M University - College Station Report

With a ranking of #12, University of Central Florida did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students. UCF is a very large public school located in the suburb of Orlando.

On average, communications graduates from UCF take out $20,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Central Florida

With a ranking of #13, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from UCSB carry an average student debt load of $13,921. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $322.

Read More…

Indiana University - Bloomington ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools list. IU Bloomington is a very large public school located in the city of Bloomington.

Communications majors at IU Bloomington take out an average of $23,251 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $534.

Read More…

#15

Boston University

Boston, MA

Boston University landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

On average, communications graduates from Boston U take out $25,625 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $839.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Boston University

#16

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from JMU carry an average student debt load of $21,500. 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

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. UW Seattle is a fairly large public school located in the city of Seattle.

Communications majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $16,680 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $224, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

University of South Florida - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the large city of Tampa, USF Tampa is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from USF Tampa carry an average student debt load of $22,007. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $181, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of South Florida - Main Campus Report

#19

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN

With a ranking of #19, Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a very large student population.

Communications majors at Purdue take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. 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

California State University - Long Beach came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $14,139 in student debt.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Long Beach

California State University - Northridge landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. CSUN is a very large public school located in the large city of Northridge.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from CSUN carry an average student debt load of $14,500.

Read More…

#22

University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY

University at Buffalo landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. University at Buffalo is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Buffalo.

On average, communications graduates from University at Buffalo take out $22,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $232, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#23

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

With a ranking of #23, Grand Canyon University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the large city of Phoenix.

On average, communications graduates from Grand Canyon University take out $26,492 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $148.

Read More…

#23

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #23 on the list. ECU is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at ECU take out is $24,673. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $298.

Full Communication & Media Studies at East Carolina University Report

#25

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular communication and media studies programs. SFSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Francisco.

While working on their degree, communications majors at SFSU accumulate an average of around $13,979 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $184, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at San Francisco State University Report

#29

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA
#33

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX
#33

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
#37

University of Arizona

Tucson, AZ
#40

University of Denver

Denver, CO
#46

University at Albany

Albany, NY
#48

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA
#49

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

Remaining Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1406 different United States communication and media studies schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
52 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
53 University of Phoenix - Arizona Tempe, AZ
54 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
55 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
56 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
57 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
58 California State University - San Marcos San Marcos, CA
59 Illinois State University Normal, IL
59 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
61 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
62 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
63 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
64 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
64 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
66 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
66 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
68 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
68 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
70 Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY
71 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
72 Boise State University Boise, ID
72 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
74 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
75 Baylor University Waco, TX
76 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
77 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
78 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
79 Texas State University San Marcos, TX
80 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
81 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
81 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
81 Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
84 Pace University - New York New York, NY
84 University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
86 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
87 University of Georgia Athens, GA
87 Long Beach City College Long Beach, CA
89 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
90 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA
91 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
91 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
93 University of Delaware Newark, DE
93 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
93 Santa Monica College Santa Monica, CA
96 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
97 DePaul University Chicago, IL
97 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
99 Montclair State University Montclair, NJ
100 Auburn University Auburn, AL
100 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
102 Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA
103 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
104 University of Dayton Dayton, OH
105 Hunter College New York, NY
105 University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
107 Mississippi State University Mississippi State, MS
108 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
109 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
110 Salisbury University Salisbury, MD
110 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
112 Villanova University Villanova, PA
113 Wake Forest University Winston-Salem, NC
113 Kean University Union, NJ
113 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
116 Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC
116 University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA
116 Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA
119 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
119 Towson University Towson, MD
121 Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD
122 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
122 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
124 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
125 California State University - Channel Islands Camarillo, CA
126 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
127 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
128 Northeastern University Boston, MA
128 Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA
130 Minnesota State University - Mankato Mankato, MN
131 University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD
131 Orange Coast College Costa Mesa, CA
133 Weber State University Ogden, UT
134 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
135 Fordham University Bronx, NY
135 Foothill College Los Altos Hills, CA
137 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
138 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
139 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
139 Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga, CA
141 Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA
141 Queens College Queens, NY
143 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
144 Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, CA
145 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
146 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
147 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
148 De Anza College Cupertino, CA
148 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
150 Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL
151 University of Alabama at Birmingham Birmingham, AL
152 Sacred Heart University Fairfield, CT
153 Portland State University Portland, OR
153 Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA
155 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
156 California State University - Bakersfield Bakersfield, CA
156 Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
158 University of Massachusetts - Boston Boston, MA
158 University of North Texas Denton, TX
160 Christopher Newport University Newport News, VA
160 Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill, CA
160 Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT
160 Valdosta State University Valdosta, GA
164 University of Missouri - St Louis Saint Louis, MO
165 Saint Cloud State University Saint Cloud, MN
165 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
165 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
168 West Valley College Saratoga, CA
168 University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
170 St John’s University - New York Queens, NY
170 Fullerton College Fullerton, CA
170 Temple University Philadelphia, PA
173 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
173 Austin Peay State University Clarksville, TN
173 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
176 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
176 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
176 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
176 El Camino College Torrance, CA
176 High Point University High Point, NC
176 Borough of Manhattan Community College New York, NY
176 University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA
176 Chapman University Orange, CA
184 American University Washington, DC
184 University of San Diego San Diego, CA
184 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
187 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
188 SUNY Geneseo Geneseo, NY
188 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
188 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
191 Georgia State University Atlanta, GA
191 University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA
193 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
193 Regent University Virginia Beach, VA
193 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
196 University of Houston - Downtown Houston, TX
197 Folsom Lake College Folsom, CA
198 University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA
198 Lasell University Newton, MA
198 Iowa State University Ames, IA
198 Tarleton State University Stephenville, TX
198 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
203 College of Staten Island CUNY Staten Island, NY
203 Dixie State University Saint George, UT
203 Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Indiana, PA
203 The University of Tampa Tampa, FL
207 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
207 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
207 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
207 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools award.

Rank College Location
211 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
212 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
213 Ball State University Muncie, IN
213 Reedley College Reedley, CA
213 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
213 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
213 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
213 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
219 College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA
219 SUNY Cortland Cortland, NY
221 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA
221 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
223 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
223 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX
225 The City College of New York New York, NY
225 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
225 University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD
225 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
225 Rollins College Winter Park, FL
230 Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania Bloomsburg, PA
230 University of Wisconsin - La Crosse La Crosse, WI
232 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
232 Stockton University Galloway, NJ
232 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
232 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
236 Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia, PA
236 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
238 Winona State University Winona, MN
238 MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA
238 Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC
241 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
241 Westfield State University Westfield, MA
241 Sierra College Rocklin, CA
241 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
241 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA
246 Fairfield University Fairfield, CT
246 Purdue University Northwest Hammond, IN
246 California State University - Stanislaus Turlock, CA
249 Radford University Radford, VA
249 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
249 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
249 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
253 The University of Arizona Global Campus San Diego, CA
253 Iona College New Rochelle, NY
253 Northeastern Illinois University Chicago, IL
256 Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen, CA
256 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Slippery Rock, PA
256 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
259 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
260 Cerritos College Norwalk, CA
260 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
262 Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
262 Northeastern University Professional Advancement Network Boston, MA
262 Southern Connecticut State University New Haven, CT
262 Furman University Greenville, SC
266 San Diego Mesa College San Diego, CA
267 SUNY Old Westbury Old Westbury, NY
267 Indiana State University Terre Haute, IN
269 DePauw University Greencastle, IN
269 Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA
269 University of South Alabama Mobile, AL
272 Tennessee State University Nashville, TN
272 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
272 University of Nevada - Reno Reno, NV
272 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
272 Columbus State University Columbus, GA
277 Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA
277 Prairie View A & M University Prairie View, TX
277 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
277 Baruch College New York, NY
277 Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, CA
277 John Carroll University University Heights, OH
277 University of Southern Maine Portland, ME

Communication & Media Studies by Region

View the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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 26 schools only.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.