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Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region

23 Colleges
$37,741 Avg Salary
$23,977 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Journalism School for You

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

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in the Plains States Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Journalism Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Minnesota - Twin Cities the best school in the Plains States Region for journalism students. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UMN Twin Cities take out is $21,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $234, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Journalism at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Report

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Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Missouri - Columbia landed the # 2 spot on the list. Mizzou is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbia.

On average, journalism graduates from Mizzou take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $427, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Drake University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Drake carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

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#4

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS

Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Kansas landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Lawrence, KU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at KU accumulate an average of around $22,437 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $494, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#5

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS

Out of the 23 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Kansas State University landed the # 5 spot on the list. K -State is a very large public school located in the city of Manhattan.

The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at K -State take out is $22,852. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $286, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#6

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, journalism majors at Iowa accumulate an average of around $24,250 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $395, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Concordia College at Moorhead did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for journalism students. It came in at #7 on the list. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Moorhead.

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Iowa State University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Iowa State is a very large public school located in the small city of Ames.

After completing their degree, journalism graduates from Iowa State carry an average student debtload of $25,409. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $162.

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University of Nebraska - Lincoln ranked #9 on this year’s Best Journalism Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a fairly large student population.

On average, journalism graduates from UNL take out $23,548 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $444.

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University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best journalism programs. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, journalism graduates from UNK take out $25,000 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Best Journalism Colleges by State

Explore the best journalism schools for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 543
Minnesota 292
Kansas 347
Iowa 279
Nebraska 155
North Dakota 10
South Dakota 16

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

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 23 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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