55,113
Graduates Per Year
$42K
Average Salary
#9
Most Popular Major
TOP
10
Degree Stats
Popular
55,113
13% NATIONAL AVG
Diplomas Received Last Year
1,109
5% NATIONAL AVG
Colleges Offering this Degree
Most Popular Degrees
8
Criminal Justice
55,297
9
Communication and Media Studies
55,113
10
Accounting
51,697
Most Widely Offered Degrees
35
/
1.852
Worse
Better
Top 100 Colleges offering this degree
Degree Granting Schools that are Public
Most Graduates
By Region
Southeast
Florida International University
By State
California
California State University-Fullerton
By Conference
Big Ten Conference
Indiana University-Bloomington
By School
Alabama A & M University
If you think life as a marketing communications coordinator, media communications specialist, or event coordinator sounds interesting, then a degree in communication and media studies may just be for you. You could even become the host of a large televised event!
Communication and media studies is the 9th most popular degree in America, with 55,113 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #10 Accounting, and narrowly lost to #8 Criminal Justice
The degree is offered at a total of 1,109 colleges across the nation, and is the 13th most widely offered degree. Given that communication and media studies is offered at 38% of the Top 100 Best Collegesin America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.
It is also worth noting that 50% of colleges offering communication and media studies are public making it a pretty accessible field.
The southeast produces the most communication and media studies graduates, largely led by Florida International University, while it’s the Big Ten Conference that leads conference totals. As far as states, California ranks highest, with particular help from California State University-Fullertonand California State University-Sacramento.
All that being said, no individual school produces more communication and media studies graduates than Alabama A & M University, which graduated 868 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study communication and media studies). More students studied communication and media studies as a percentage of total students at High Point Universitythan any other college.
Good luck on your college search and we hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
Good luck finding the right college for you. We hope you enjoy Authority's 2022 official Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies list. Some of our picks may surprise you!
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#1 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Southern California is a very large private university located in Los Angeles, CA ranked 24thin the nation. It has a total of 21,909 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 11.42% acceptance rate. University of Southern California offers 527 different majors and is best known for its communication and media studies, film, and gerontology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $57,256 per year, University of Southern California is extremely costly. 87.78% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $74,000 per year, which is 78% over the national median.
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Los Angeles, CA
www.usc.edu/
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
53,186
Students
# 24
Ranking
$57,256
Tuition
#2 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in Chapel Hill, NC ranked 64thin America. It has a total of 19,957 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, with a 22.63% acceptance rate. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers 232 different majors and is best known for its health and fitness, peace studies and conflict resolution, and environmental science programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $7,019 for in-state students and $34,198 for those from out-of-state, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is somewhat moderately high-priced. 84.25% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,600 per year, which is 34% above the national median.
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Chapel Hill, NC
www.unc.edu
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
32,346
Students
# 5
Ranking
$34,198
Tuition
#3 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Boston University is a very large private university located in Boston, MA ranked 35thin the US. It has a total of 23,235 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, accepting 18.94% of applicants. Boston University offers 433 different majors and is best known for its counseling psychology, athletic training, and archeology programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $54,720 per year, Boston University is exceptionally pricey. 77.85% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $65,300 per year, which is 57% greater than the national median.
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Boston, MA
www.bu.edu
A+
Rating
19%
Acceptance
42,779
Students
# 34
Ranking
$54,720
Tuition
#4 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Pennsylvania is a very large private university located in Philadelphia, PA ranked 8thin the US. It has a total of 14,000 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 7.66% of applicants. University of Pennsylvania offers 355 different majors and is best known for its finance, management sciences and quantitative methods, and philosophy programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $51,156 per year, University of Pennsylvania is exceptionally costly. 81.13% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $85,900 per year, which is 107% over the national median.
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Philadelphia, PA
www.upenn.edu
A+
Rating
8%
Acceptance
29,813
Students
# 8
Ranking
$51,156
Tuition
#5 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
California State University-Fullerton is a very large public college located in Fullerton, CA ranked 41stin California. It has a total of 40,350 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 52.69% of applicants. California State University-Fullerton offers 114 different majors and is best known for its early childhood education and teaching, health and fitness, and human services programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 4th respectively). With a tuition cost of $5,742 for students from California and $17,622 for those from out-of-state, California State University-Fullerton is reasonably priced. 70.58% of students graduate starting the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $47,200 per year, which is 14% over the national median.
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Fullerton, CA
www.fullerton.edu
B+
Rating
53%
Acceptance
46,588
Students
# 98
Ranking
$17,622
Tuition
#6 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of California-Santa Barbara is a very large public university located in Santa Barbara, CA ranked 97thin America. It has a total of 24,638 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting narrowly over 2/7 of applicants. University of California-Santa Barbara offers 182 different majors and is best known for its actuarial science, sociology, and experimental psychology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Santa Barbara is rather high-priced. 64.93% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,300 per year, which is 33% above the national median.
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Santa Barbara, CA
www.ucsb.edu
A
Rating
30%
Acceptance
27,685
Students
# 12
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#7 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Michigan State University is a very large public university located in East Lansing, MI ranked 163rdin the United States. It has a total of 42,492 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 71.12% acceptance rate. Michigan State University offers 384 different majors and is best known for its logistics materials and supply chain management, pre law studies, and soil sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $14,460 for students from Michigan and $39,766 for those from out-of-state, Michigan State University is quite pricey. 76.24% of students graduate starting the next stage of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $53,600 per year, which is 29% above the national median.
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East Lansing, MI
https://www.msu.edu
A
Rating
71%
Acceptance
55,332
Students
# 41
Ranking
$39,766
Tuition
#8 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Stanford University is a large private university located in Stanford, CA ranked 2ndin America. It has a total of 8,290 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 4.34% of applicants. Stanford University offers 227 different majors and is best known for its human biology, industrial management, and earth sciences programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $52,857 per year, Stanford University is very high-priced. 89.2% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $94,000 per year, which is 126% over the national median.
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Stanford, CA
www.stanford.edu/
A+
Rating
4%
Acceptance
20,993
Students
# 2
Ranking
$52,857
Tuition
#9 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a very large public university located in Seattle, WA ranked 110thin the United States. It has a total of 39,443 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 51.76% of applicants. University of Washington-Seattle Campus offers 687 different majors and is best known for its informatics, environmental science, and physician assistant studies programs, which are all nationally ranked 2nd. With a tuition cost of $10,370 for in-state students and $37,071 for those from out-of-state, University of Washington-Seattle Campus is rather high-priced. 77.21% of students graduate moving on to the next phase of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $57,700 per year, which is 39% greater than the national median.
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Seattle, WA
www.washington.edu
A
Rating
52%
Acceptance
56,315
Students
# 15
Ranking
$37,071
Tuition
#10 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a large private university located in Cambridge, MA ranked 1stin the US. It has a total of 4,698 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting 6.7% of applicants. Massachusetts Institute of Technology offers 114 different majors and is best known for its computer science, mathematics, and physics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $53,450 per year, Massachusetts Institute of Technology is exceptionally expensive. 90% of students graduate ready to the next chapter of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $104,700 per year, which is 152% above the national median.
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Cambridge, MA
web.mit.edu/
A+
Rating
7%
Acceptance
12,321
Students
# 1
Ranking
$53,450
Tuition
#11 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Florida International University is a very large public university located in Miami, FL ranked 13thin Florida. It has a total of 59,764 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 57.51% acceptance rate. Florida International University offers 250 different majors and is best known for its international business, clinical nutrition services, and marketing programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $4,721 for in-state students and $16,529 for those from out-of-state, Florida International University is reasonably priced. 54.63% of students graduate beginning the next phase of their lives, joining the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $46,300 per year, which is 11% over the national median.
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Miami, FL
www.fiu.edu
B+
Rating
58%
Acceptance
72,780
Students
# 93
Ranking
$16,529
Tuition
#12 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Marist College is a mid-sized private institution located in Poughkeepsie, NY ranked 184thin the United States. It has a total of 6,184 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 49.23% of applicants. Marist College offers 79 different majors and is best known for its fashion merchandising, multimedia art, and history teacher education programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 4th, and 8th respectively). With a tuition cost of $41,800 per year, Marist College is quite expensive. 78.36% of students graduate beginning the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,900 per year, which is 37% over the national median.
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Poughkeepsie, NY
www.Marist.edu
A
Rating
49%
Acceptance
7,462
Students
# 136
Ranking
$41,800
Tuition
#13 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Boston College is a large private university located in Chestnut Hill, MA ranked 40thin the US. It has a total of 10,369 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 27.22% of applicants. Boston College offers 176 different majors and is best known for its applied psychology, operations management and supervision, and theological and ministerial studies programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,780 per year, Boston College is extremely costly. 89.53% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $72,500 per year, which is 75% above the national median.
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Chestnut Hill, MA
www.bc.edu
A+
Rating
27%
Acceptance
15,981
Students
# 38
Ranking
$56,780
Tuition
#14 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Purdue University-Main Campus is a very large public university located in West Lafayette, IN ranked 133rdin America. It has a total of 35,481 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting slightly under 3 out of 5 applicants. Purdue University-Main Campus offers 382 different majors and is best known for its engineering technologies, mechanical engineering technology, and computer graphics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $9,208 for in-state students and $28,010 for those from out-of-state, Purdue University-Main Campus is reasonably expensive. 69.04% of students graduate ready to the next phase of their lives, joining the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $55,100 per year, which is 33% greater than the national median.
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West Lafayette, IN
https://www.purdue.edu
A
Rating
60%
Acceptance
47,412
Students
# 26
Ranking
$28,010
Tuition
#15 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Northwestern University is a very large private university located in Evanston, IL ranked 18thin America. It has a total of 9,906 full-time undergraduate students and is highly competitive, accepting a bit under 10% of applicants. Northwestern University offers 406 different majors and is best known for its manufacturing engineering, journalism, and drama programs (nationally ranked 1st, 2nd, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $56,232 per year, Northwestern University is exceptionally pricey. 76.5% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $69,000 per year, which is 66% over the national median.
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Evanston, IL
www.northwestern.edu
A+
Rating
9%
Acceptance
25,614
Students
# 18
Ranking
$56,232
Tuition
#16 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Cornell University is a very large private university located in Ithaca, NY ranked 11thin the United States. It has a total of 15,464 full-time undergraduate students and is quite competitive, with a 10.85% acceptance rate. Cornell University offers 323 different majors and is best known for its human resources, agricultural business and management, and agriculture programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $56,550 per year, Cornell University is exceptionally pricey. 89.35% of students graduate moving on to the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $77,200 per year, which is 86% above the national median.
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Ithaca, NY
www.cornell.edu
A+
Rating
11%
Acceptance
24,189
Students
# 11
Ranking
$56,550
Tuition
#17 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Maryland-College Park is a very large public university located in College Park, MD ranked 100thin America. It has a total of 33,022 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 44.18% acceptance rate. University of Maryland-College Park offers 432 different majors and is best known for its criminology, preschool education and teaching, and family and community services programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $8,824 for in-state students and $34,936 for those from out-of-state, University of Maryland-College Park is reasonably costly. 75.08% of students graduate starting the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $62,900 per year, which is 51% greater than the national median.
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College Park, MD
www.umd.edu
A
Rating
44%
Acceptance
44,486
Students
# 13
Ranking
$34,936
Tuition
#18 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Indiana University-Bloomington is a very large public university located in Bloomington, IN ranked 280thin America. It has a total of 34,843 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 77.91% of applicants. Indiana University-Bloomington offers 336 different majors and is best known for its business, public administration, and informatics programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $9,575 for in-state students and $35,140 for those from out-of-state, Indiana University-Bloomington is somewhat moderately pricey. 60.07% of students graduate starting the next phase of their lives, entering the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $47,700 per year, which is 15% greater than the national median.
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Bloomington, IN
www.indiana.edu/
A-
Rating
78%
Acceptance
46,423
Students
# 76
Ranking
$35,140
Tuition
#19 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
Wake Forest University is a mid-sized private university located in Winston-Salem, NC ranked 62ndin America. It has a total of 5,399 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, with a 29.6% acceptance rate. Wake Forest University offers 100 different majors and is best known for its french studies, general studies, and elementary education and teaching programs (nationally ranked 1st, 7th, and 8th respectively). With a tuition cost of $54,430 per year, Wake Forest University is exceptionally costly. 85.68% of students graduate moving on to the next phase of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $63,800 per year, which is 54% above the national median.
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Winston-Salem, NC
www.wfu.edu
A+
Rating
30%
Acceptance
9,032
Students
# 58
Ranking
$54,430
Tuition
#20 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Wisconsin-Madison is a very large public university located in Madison, WI ranked 106thin the US. It has a total of 34,640 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, with a 54.41% acceptance rate. University of Wisconsin-Madison offers 492 different majors and is best known for its spanish language and literature, genetics, and french language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $9,273 for in-state students and $36,333 for those from out-of-state, University of Wisconsin-Madison is rather costly. 81.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, entering the workforce. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $56,200 per year, which is 35% above the national median.
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Madison, WI
www.wisc.edu
A
Rating
54%
Acceptance
47,392
Students
# 14
Ranking
$36,333
Tuition
#21 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is a very large public university located in Ann Arbor, MI ranked 37thin the US. It has a total of 31,206 full-time undergraduate students and is relatively competitive, accepting 22.91% of applicants. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor offers 433 different majors and is best known for its experimental psychology, data modeling and database administration, and german language and literature programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $15,230 for students from Michigan and $50,872 for those from out-of-state, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor is extremely expensive. 86.28% of students graduate ready to the next stage of their lives, joining the labor force. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $63,400 per year, which is 53% above the national median.
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Ann Arbor, MI
https://umich.edu/
A+
Rating
23%
Acceptance
48,218
Students
# 2
Ranking
$50,872
Tuition
#22 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of South Florida-Main Campus is a very large public university located in Tampa, FL ranked 216thin the nation. It has a total of 37,780 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting 47.63% of applicants. University of South Florida-Main Campus offers 238 different majors and is best known for its audiology, social science teacher education, and criminology programs (nationally ranked 2nd, 3rd, and 4th respectively). With a tuition cost of $4,559 for in-state students and $15,473 for those from out-of-state, University of South Florida-Main Campus is reasonably priced. 65.22% of students graduate beginning the next phase of their lives, joining the labor market. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $43,500 per year, which is 5% greater than the national median.
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Tampa, FL
www.usf.edu
A
Rating
48%
Acceptance
51,808
Students
# 58
Ranking
$15,473
Tuition
#23 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of California-San Diego is a very large public university located in La Jolla, CA ranked 66thin America. It has a total of 31,840 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting 31.48% of applicants. University of California-San Diego offers 228 different majors and is best known for its biological and biomedical sciences, global studies, and cognitive science programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for students from California and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-San Diego is rather high-priced. 78.44% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $59,900 per year, which is 44% above the national median.
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La Jolla, CA
www.ucsd.edu
A+
Rating
31%
Acceptance
39,811
Students
# 6
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition
#24 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a very large public university located in Champaign, IL ranked 117thin the United States. It has a total of 35,883 full-time undergraduate students and is not very competitive, accepting just less than 3/5 of applicants. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign offers 372 different majors and is best known for its civil engineering, food science, and architectural technology programs (nationally ranked 1st, 1st, and 2nd respectively). With a tuition cost of $12,036 for in-state students and $29,178 for those from out-of-state, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is somewhat moderately costly. 80.23% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, employment. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $61,500 per year, which is 48% over the national median.
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Champaign, IL
www.illinois.edu/
A
Rating
59%
Acceptance
54,985
Students
# 21
Ranking
$29,178
Tuition
#25 Best Colleges for Communication and Media Studies
University of California-Davis is a very large public university located in Davis, CA ranked 86thin the US. It has a total of 32,863 full-time undergraduate students and is somewhat competitive, accepting slightly over 3 in every 8 applicants. University of California-Davis offers 311 different majors and is best known for its design and visual communications, nutrition sciences, and biotechnology programs, which are all nationally ranked 1st. With a tuition cost of $11,442 for in-state students and $41,196 for those from out-of-state, University of California-Davis is rather high-priced. 80.59% of students graduate beginning the next chapter of their lives, working. After graduation, alumni go on to earn about $58,200 per year, which is 40% greater than the national median.
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Davis, CA
ucdavis.edu
A+
Rating
39%
Acceptance
40,623
Students
# 11
Ranking
$41,196
Tuition