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Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

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2023 Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

252 Colleges
$31,564 Avg Salary
$23,720 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree School for You

Journalism is the #70 most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 252 schools in the United States 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 Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the United States

Check out the journalism bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 25 Top Schools for a Bachelor's in Journalism

Our analysis found University of Wisconsin - Madison to be the best school for journalism students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. UW - Madison is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Madison.

Full Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison Report

#2

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Florida is a great place for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. UF is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at UF accumulate an average of around $16,650 in student debt.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at USC accumulate an average of around $16,644 in student debt.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great place for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $18,144. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $310.

Full Journalism at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, journalism graduates from UMN Twin Cities take out $19,916 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $234.

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With a ranking of #6, University of Missouri - Columbia did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Mizzou is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.

On average, journalism graduates from Mizzou take out $19,957 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $427.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Missouri - Columbia

#7

Elon University

Elon, NC

Elon University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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George Washington University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, journalism graduates from GWU take out $21,457 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Journalism at George Washington University Report

#9

Samford University

Birmingham, AL

With a ranking of #9, Samford University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Samford is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Birmingham.

Full Journalism at Samford University Report

#10

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

Drake University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Journalism at Drake University Report

#11

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

University of Kansas came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Lawrence, KU is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at KU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $20,148. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $494.

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#12

American University

Washington, DC

With a ranking of #12, American University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $701.

Full Journalism at American University Report

The University of Texas at Austin landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. UT Austin is a very large public school located in the large city of Austin.

Journalism majors at UT Austin take out an average of $20,561 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $204.

Read full report on Journalism at The University of Texas at Austin

University of Maryland - College Park came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public college with a very large student population.

Journalism majors at UMCP take out an average of $20,106 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $756.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Maryland - College Park

Southern Methodist University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. SMU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Dallas.

Read full report on Journalism at Southern Methodist University

#16

Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY

Syracuse University landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Syracuse.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $557.

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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ranked #17 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. UIUC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $194.

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#18

Fairfield University

Fairfield, CT

Fairfield University landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree journalism programs. Fairfield U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.

Read full report on Journalism at Fairfield University

With a ranking of #19, Indiana University - Bloomington did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Bloomington, IU Bloomington is a public college with a fairly large student population.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $560.

Read full report on Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington

#20

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX

With a ranking of #20, Texas Christian University did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, journalism majors at TCU accumulate an average of around $22,580 in student debt.

Read full report on Journalism at Texas Christian University

#21

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

Kansas State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. K -State is a very large public school located in the small city of Manhattan.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at K -State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,360. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $286.

Full Journalism at Kansas State University Report

University of Colorado Boulder ranked #22 on this year’s Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public college with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at CU - Boulder take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,731.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Colorado Boulder

Colorado State University - Fort Collins did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for journalism students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Colorado State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fort Collins.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Colorado State take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,700. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $468.

Read full report on Journalism at Colorado State University - Fort Collins

Concordia College at Moorhead came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.

Read More…

#25

Emerson College

Boston, MA

Emerson College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Boston, Emerson is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at Emerson take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $23,353. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $888.

Read full report on Journalism at Emerson College

Rest of the Top Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools

#27

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA
#28

Boston University

Boston, MA
#32

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA
#33

Baylor University

Waco, TX
#37

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

Honorable 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 Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
38 Wilmington University New Castle, DE
39 Gonzaga University Spokane, WA
40 University of Scranton Scranton, PA
41 University of Georgia Athens, GA
42 Utah State University Logan, UT
43 Georgia College & State University Milledgeville, GA
44 Creighton University Omaha, NE
45 Chapman University Orange, CA
46 Bethel University Minnesota Saint Paul, MN
47 North Dakota State University - Main Campus Fargo, ND
48 Marquette University Milwaukee, WI
49 South Dakota State University Brookings, SD
50 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI

Journalism by Region

View the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

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

Journalism is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 66,787
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
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 Jfurrer.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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