by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 103 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 11,839 bachelor's degrees in communication & journalism during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
The communication & 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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
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.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 schools for communication & 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 Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for communication & 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.
Northwestern University is a wonderful decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Northwestern University
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism. U-M is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Michigan State University is a great option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Michigan State University
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism has to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Madison
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Ohio State University - Main Campus
Purdue is a fairly large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Purdue University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from DePaul University
OHIO Athens is a very large public university located in the distant town of Athens.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Ohio University - Athens Campus
Located in the city of Milwaukee, Marquette is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Marquette University
Ball State is a very large public university located in the city of Muncie.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Ball State University
Miami University - Oxford is a fairly large public university located in the town of Oxford.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Miami University - Oxford
UDayton is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Dayton.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Dayton
UC is a very large public university located in the city of Cincinnati.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee
Butler is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Indianapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Butler University
Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Illinois State University
Kent State is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Kent.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Kent State University at Kent
UW - Whitewater is a large public university located in the town of Whitewater.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater
Learn about other programs related to Communication & Journalism that might interest you.
BA in Communication - Public Relations
Prepare to develop your skills in building mutually beneficial relationships between organizations and their public audiences.
Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Journalism students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 21 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL |
| 22 | DePauw University | Greencastle, IN |
| 23 | Denison University | Granville, OH |
| 24 | Loyola University Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 25 | University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL |
| 26 | Grand Valley State University | Allendale, MI |
| 27 | University of Wisconsin - La Crosse | La Crosse, WI |
| 28 | Saint Norbert College | De Pere, WI |
| 29 | The College of Wooster | Wooster, OH |
| 30 | Bradley University | Peoria, IL |
| 31 | Augustana College | Rock Island, IL |
| 32 | University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire | Eau Claire, WI |
| 33 | Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis | Indianapolis, IN |
| 34 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
Explore the best communication & journalism schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 6,366 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 2,485 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 1,602 |
| Journalism | 1,313 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 72 |
| Publishing | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Social Sciences | 16,644 |
| English Language & Literature | 4,365 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 3,835 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 3,279 |
| History | 2,881 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 2,008 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 1,404 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 1,334 |
| Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies | 993 |
