by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 164 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for communication & journalism students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 12,991 master's degrees in communication & journalism during the <nil> academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The communication & journalism master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality communication & journalism program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication & journalism students working on their master's degree.
The communication & journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in communication & journalism. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in communication & journalism has to check out Northwestern University. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Northwestern University
University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students interested in a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Southern California
George Washington University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the large city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from George Washington University
Boston University is a good choice for students interested in a master's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Boston University
Located in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus
Villanova is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Villanova.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Villanova University
Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Syracuse University
UMN Twin Cities is a fairly large public university located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Florida
Temple is a very large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Temple University
DU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Denver.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Denver
Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from American University
NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from New York University
University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
UW Seattle is a very large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Iowa
UW - Madison is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Madison.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Located in the midsize city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Savannah College of Art and Design
Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Baylor University
UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Georgia
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from The University of Texas at Austin
UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Storrs.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from University of Connecticut
Michigan State is a very large public university located in the city of East Lansing.More information about a master’s in communication & journalism from Michigan State University
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 33 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 34 | Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX |
| 35 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 36 | Marquette University | Milwaukee, WI |
| 37 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 38 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 39 | University of Colorado Boulder | Boulder, CO |
| 40 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
| 41 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 42 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 43 | Gonzaga University | Spokane, WA |
| 44 | Kent State University at Kent | Kent, OH |
| 45 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 46 | Florida International University | Miami, FL |
| 47 | Butler University | Indianapolis, IN |
| 48 | Rider University | Lawrenceville, NJ |
| 49 | Quinnipiac University | Hamden, CT |
| 50 | Chapman University | Orange, CA |
| 51 | Washington State University | Pullman, WA |
| 52 | University of California - Berkeley | Berkeley, CA |
| 53 | The New School | New York, NY |
| 54 | Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY |
View the Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 4,685 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 3,129 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 2,951 |
| Journalism | 1,525 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 488 |
| Publishing | 213 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 19,295 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 13,310 |
| English Language & Literature | 8,374 |
| History | 3,626 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 3,059 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 2,957 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 2,425 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 1,931 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 1,693 |
