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Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

5 Colleges
$15,879 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$29,256 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Journalism School for You

Journalism is the #52 most popular major in Tennessee with 301 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in Tennessee to see which programs offered the best value experiences for journalism students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee

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

Best Tennessee Schools for Affordable Quality in Journalism

$9,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Middle Tennessee State University to be the best value school for journalism students who want to pursue a degree in Tennessee. Located in the medium-sized city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public school with a very large student population.

Middle Tennessee State University undergraduate students pay an average of $9,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Journalism majors at Middle Tennessee State University take out an average of $23,500 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $145, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Journalism at Middle Tennessee State University Report

$13,244 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the midsize city of Knoxville, UT Knoxville is a public school with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UT Knoxville are $13,244 per year. The average amount in student loans that journalism majors at UT Knoxville take out is $23,198. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $501, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

UT Knoxville also took the #4 spot in our Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee rankings.

Read full report on Journalism at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

#3

University of Memphis

Memphis, TN
$10,056 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Memphis landed the # 3 spot on the list. UofM is a very large public school located in the large city of Memphis.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UofM are $10,056 per year. While working on their degree, journalism majors at UofM accumulate an average of around $25,750 in student debt.

Full Journalism at University of Memphis Report

#4

Austin Peay State University

Clarksville, TN
$8,431 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Austin Peay State University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Journalism Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Clarksville, Austin Peay State University is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Austin Peay State University are $8,431 a year.

Read full report on Journalism at Austin Peay State University

#5

Belmont University

Nashville, TN
$38,430 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Belmont University is a great value for journalism students. Located in the city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Belmont are $38,430 per year.

Belmont did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Journalism Schools in Tennessee list.

Full Journalism at Belmont University Report

Best Value Journalism Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Journalism Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 676
Virginia 141
North Carolina 133
Florida 353
Kentucky 181
South Carolina 110
Louisiana 54
Arkansas 266
Alabama 236
Mississippi 125
West Virginia 211

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 5 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 Jfurrer.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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