2026 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools
There are 1,403 colleges that offer a degree in Communication & Media Studies. The most popular schools, by student demand, are below:
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
Today’s Communication & Media Studies students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you’re no longer limited to schools in your local area.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 1,403 schools in the United States offering Communication & Media Studies programs. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from each school’s program.
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2026 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in the United States
Check out the Communication & Media Studies programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.
Top 25 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools
The most popular school in the United States for Communication & Media Studies students is University of California-Santa Barbara. Located in Santa Barbara, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 649 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $38,259. Read More…
Texas A&M University-College Station comes in at #2 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Texas A&M University-College Station is a public school located in College Station, TX. This school awarded 648 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $54,018. Read More…
California State University-Fullerton comes in at #3 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Fullerton, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 628 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $39,215. Read More…
Arizona State University Digital Immersion landed the #4 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Arizona State University Digital Immersion is a public school located in Scottsdale, AZ. This school awarded 598 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,210. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Arizona State University Digital Immersion
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill comes in at #5 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public school located in Chapel Hill, NC. This school awarded 561 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $51,058. Read More…
University of Southern California landed the #6 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in Los Angeles, CA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 514 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $63,275. Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern California Report
Ohio State University-Main Campus landed the #7 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Ohio State University-Main Campus is a public school located in Columbus, OH. During the most recent year for which we have data, 467 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $49,087. Full Communication & Media Studies at Ohio State University-Main Campus Report
James Madison University landed the #8 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in Harrisonburg, VA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 455 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,545. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at James Madison University
Grand Canyon University landed the #9 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Grand Canyon University is a private for-profit school located in Phoenix, AZ. This school awarded 412 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $62,543. Read More…
University of Florida landed the #10 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. University of Florida is a public school located in Gainesville, FL. During the most recent year for which we have data, 380 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,898. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Florida
California State University-Sacramento comes in at #11 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. California State University-Sacramento is a public school located in Sacramento, CA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 376 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,434. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University-Sacramento
Arizona State University Campus Immersion comes in at #12 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Tempe, AZ, this is a public institution. This school awarded 370 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $48,210. Read More…
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College landed the #13 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is a public school located in Baton Rouge, LA. This school awarded 368 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $42,361. Read More…
University of Central Florida landed the #14 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in Orlando, FL, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 368 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,960. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Central Florida
California State University-Long Beach comes in at #15 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. California State University-Long Beach is a public school located in Long Beach, CA. This school awarded 356 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $38,082. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University-Long Beach
Indiana University-Bloomington comes in at #16 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Bloomington, IN, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 355 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $48,621. Read More…
San Diego State University comes in at #17 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. San Diego State University is a public school located in San Diego, CA. This school awarded 337 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $42,235. Read More…
Florida International University comes in at #18 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Florida International University is a public school located in Miami, FL. This school awarded 334 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $40,919. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Florida International University
University of Washington-Seattle Campus comes in at #19 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a public school located in Seattle, WA. During the most recent year for which we have data, 331 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,990. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Texas Tech University comes in at #20 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Lubbock, TX, this is a public institution. This school awarded 313 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $46,893. Read More…
University at Buffalo comes in at #21 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Buffalo, NY, this is a public institution. This school awarded 312 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,259. Full Communication & Media Studies at University at Buffalo Report
Liberty University comes in at #22 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Lynchburg, VA, this is a private nonprofit institution. This school awarded 305 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $44,414. Full Communication & Media Studies at Liberty University Report
University of Wisconsin-Madison landed the #23 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in Madison, WI, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 305 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $53,379. Read More…
Michigan State University landed the #24 spot in the 2026 edition of our Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking. Located in East Lansing, MI, this is a public institution. This school awarded 302 degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $50,898. Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Michigan State University
University of California-Davis comes in at #25 on our 2026 list of the most popular colleges for Communication & Media Studies majors. Located in Davis, CA, this is a public institution. During the most recent year for which we have data, 301 people earned their degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates of this program go on to a median salary of $41,123. Read More…
Rest of the Top Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools
Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that also graduate students in this major every year.
Communication & Media Studies by Region
View the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking for a specific region near you.
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| Great Lakes |
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More Communication & Media Studies Rankings
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools ranking, along with other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Majors Related to Communication & Media Studies
Communication & Media Studies Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Speech Communication | 32,944 |
| Communications | 11,299 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 8,694 |
| Other Communication & Media | 2,273 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Public Relations & Advertising | 19,636 |
| Radio, TV & Digital Communication | 17,813 |
| Journalism | 11,334 |
| Other Communication & Journalism | 1,080 |
| Publishing | 340 |
References
*The average salary above is for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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