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Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

43 Colleges
$33,946 Avg Salary
$25,109 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Journalism School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, journalism was ranked #70 in the country. In fact 13,552 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. This report analyzed 43 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Journalism Colleges.

Top 10 Best Journalism Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Wisconsin - Madison the best school in the Great Lakes Region for journalism students. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, journalism graduates from UW - Madison carry an average student debtload of $21,500.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public college with a very large student population.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at UIUC accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $194.

Full Journalism at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Report

Out of the 43 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Indiana University - Bloomington landed the # 3 spot on the list. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bloomington.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at IU Bloomington accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $560.

Full Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington Report

Out of the 43 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Miami University - Oxford landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Journalism majors at Miami University - Oxford take out an average of $26,333 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Journalism at Miami University - Oxford Report

#5

Marquette University

Milwaukee, WI

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Marquette University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Marquette is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Milwaukee.

Journalism majors at Marquette take out an average of $26,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Full Journalism at Marquette University Report

#6

Michigan State University

East Lansing, MI

Michigan State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.

On average, journalism graduates from Michigan State take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $408.

Read More…

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Whitewater did quite well on this year’s best schools for journalism students. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public school located in the distant town of Whitewater.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at UW - Whitewater accumulate an average of around $25,873 in student debt.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

#8

North Central College

Naperville, IL

North Central College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for journalism students. It came in at #8 on the list. North Central is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Naperville.

Read More…

Illinois State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Journalism Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Illinois State is a very large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal.

Journalism majors at Illinois State take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

#10

Franklin College

Franklin, IN

Franklin College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Franklin College of Indiana is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Franklin.

Full Journalism at Franklin College Report

Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 245
Ohio 426
Illinois 332
Indiana 274
Wisconsin 325

One of 5 majors within the area of study, journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.

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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