by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 176 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for journalism students pursuing a bachelor's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 10,026 bachelor's degrees in journalism to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The journalism bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for journalism students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for journalism students seeking a a bachelor's degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Boston University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. Boston U is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Boston.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Boston University earn a boost of around $8,466 above the typical income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Boston University
It's difficult to beat Syracuse University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in journalism. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Syracuse.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Syracuse University receive an earnings boost of about $6,366 over the typical income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Syracuse University
University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in journalism. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Southern California receive $10,260 more than the typical journalism graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Southern California
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in journalism needs to take a look at University of Maryland - College Park. UMCP is a very large public university located in the large suburb of College Park.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Maryland - College Park earn $12,502 more than the average journalism graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Maryland - College Park
Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism degree program at University of Minnesota - Twin Cities get $8,059 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Madison get an earnings boost of approximately $6,551 above the average income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Mizzou is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Missouri - Columbia earn $9,567 more than the standard journalism graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Missouri - Columbia
Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism major at The University of Texas at Austin make $4,945 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from The University of Texas at Austin
GWU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from George Washington University earn $17,624 more than the average journalism grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from George Washington University
Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism degree program at Michigan State University make $2,521 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University
Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the city of Iowa City.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career wages of $34,743.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Iowa
Located in the large city of Boston, Emerson is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from Emerson College receive $5,312 more than the typical journalism student.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Emerson College
KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Kansas receive $8,800 more than the typical journalism graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Kansas
Located in the midsize city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism program at University of Georgia make $2,245 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Georgia
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from Indiana University - Bloomington receive $5,601 more than the typical journalism grad.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington
UNL is a fairly large public university located in the city of Lincoln.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $32,553.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe receive an earnings boost of about $8,214 over the typical earnings of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Arizona State University - Tempe
CU - Boulder is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Boulder.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the journalism program earn around $34,022 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Colorado Boulder
Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of North Texas make $3,727 more than the average journalism student.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of North Texas
Located in the midsize suburb of Norman, University of Oklahoma is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus earn a boost of around $2,353 over the typical income of journalism graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the distant town of Athens.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from Ohio University - Athens Campus receive $3,855 more than the standard journalism student.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Ohio University - Athens Campus
UO is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Eugene.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the journalism program state that they receive average early career earnings of $33,525.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Oregon
Located in the city of Amherst, UMass Amherst is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Journalism bachelor's degree recipients from University of Massachusetts Amherst earn a boost of approximately $2,700 over the average income of journalism majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Massachusetts Amherst
Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those journalism students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Florida receive $3,773 more than the average journalism graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from University of Florida
Northeastern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Boston.
Bachelor's recipients from the journalism degree program at Northeastern University make $17,464 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in journalism from Northeastern University
Here are some additional great schools for Journalism students that almost earned our Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools award.
View the Best Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Journalism has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| General Journalism | 8,590 |
| Broadcast Journalism | 726 |
| Other Journalism | 621 |
| Photojournalism | 89 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 44,674 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 15,715 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 10,971 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 644 |
| Publishing | 104 |
