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Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools

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2023 Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools

113 Colleges
$34,115 Avg Salary
$25,414 Avg Student Debt

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 113 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular online programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Check out the online communications programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

Our 2023 rankings named Arizona State University - Skysong the most popular online school in the United States for communication and media studies students. Located in the midsize city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at ASU - Skysong accumulate an average of around $22,750 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 $290.

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#2

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

The excellent online programs at Full Sail University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and media studies schools in the United States. 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.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Full Sail University

#3

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

Out of the 113 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, East Carolina University landed the # 3 spot on the list. ECU is a very large public school located in the city of Greenville.

While working on their degree, communications majors at ECU accumulate an average of around $24,673 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 $298.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Phoenix - Arizona. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools list. UOPX - Arizona is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Tempe.

While working on their degree, communications majors at UOPX - Arizona accumulate an average of around $44,875 in student debt.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Phoenix - Arizona

Out of the 113 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Communications majors at Louisiana State University take out an average of $21,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $296.

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#6

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit school located in the city of Phoenix.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from Grand Canyon University carry an average student debtload of $26,492. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $148.

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University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Columbia, Mizzou is a public college with a very large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from Mizzou carry an average student debtload of $22,814. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $531, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Missouri - Columbia Report

#8

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools list. SMC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.

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#9

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA

With a ranking of #9, Liberty University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Liberty University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Lynchburg.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Liberty University take out is $25,625. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $529.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Liberty University

#10

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools list. KU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Lawrence.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from KU carry an average student debtload of $23,250. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $455.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Kansas

With a ranking of #11, University of Maryland Global Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. UMGC is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Adelphi.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from UMGC carry an average student debtload of $26,897.

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#12

University of Denver

Denver, CO

University of Denver did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #12 on the list. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Denver.

Communications majors at DU take out an average of $24,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Denver Report

Appalachian State University ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools list. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the town of Boone.

On average, communications graduates from Appalachian State take out $22,931 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 $150.

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University of Missouri - St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, UMSL is a public school with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UMSL take out is $25,000.

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#15

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN

University of Memphis landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at UofM take out is $27,000.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Memphis Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for online Communication & Media Studies students that almost earned our Most Popular Online Communication & Media Studies Schools award.

Rank College Location
17 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
18 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
19 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
20 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
21 College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA
22 Colorado State University - Global Campus Greenwood Village, CO

View the Most Popular Online 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

More Communication & Media Studies Rankings

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 25 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.

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