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2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

322 Colleges
$10,163 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$47,415 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Communication & Journalism Master's Degree School for You

Communication & Journalism is the #17 most popular major in the country with 12,242 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Value Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 322 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value master's degree programs for communication and journalism students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for communication and journalism majors pursuing a master's degree.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Communication & Journalism

#1

La Salle University

Philadelphia, PA

Our analysis found La Salle University to be the best value school for communication and journalism students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Located in the city of Philadelphia, La Salle is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at La Salle are $1,455 per year.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at La Salle University

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Columbia College Chicago is a great value for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Columbia are $2,350 per year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Columbia College Chicago Report

Out of the 322 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Brigham Young University - Provo landed the # 3 spot on the list. BYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Provo.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at BYU are $7,700 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, BYU is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Brigham Young University - Provo

#4

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Drake University is a great value for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Drake are $11,988 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Drake also did well on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#5

Ashland University

Ashland, OH

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Ashland University is a great value for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. Ashland is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Ashland.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Ashland are $6,972 per year.

Read More…

#6

Spring Arbor University

Spring Arbor, MI

Spring Arbor University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree communication and journalism programs. Spring Arbor is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Spring Arbor.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Spring Arbor are $8,383 a year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Spring Arbor University Report

#7

University of Dubuque

Dubuque, IA

University of Dubuque came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. UD is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Dubuque.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UD are $7,940 a year.

Full Communication & Journalism at University of Dubuque Report

Concordia University, Saint Paul ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Concordia University, Saint Paul is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Concordia University, Saint Paul are $8,550 per year.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Concordia University, Saint Paul

North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.

North Dakota State University also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

#10

Gonzaga University

Spokane, WA

With a ranking of #10, Gonzaga University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Gonzaga are $14,878 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Gonzaga is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list.

Full Communication & Journalism at Gonzaga University Report

Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a large public school located in the city of Mankato.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 a year.

Minnesota State Mankato excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read More…

#12

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg, MA

Fitchburg State University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Fitchburg, Fitchburg State is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Fitchburg State graduate students pay an average of $6,012 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#13

Bellevue University

Bellevue, NE

With a ranking of #13, Bellevue University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. Located in the suburb of Bellevue, Bellevue University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bellevue University are $11,730 per year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Bellevue University Report

West Texas A&M University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. West Texas A&M University is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Canyon.

West Texas A&M University graduate students pay an average of $8,574 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#15

St. Bonaventure University

Saint Bonaventure, NY

With a ranking of #15, St. Bonaventure University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for communication and journalism students working on their master’s degree. St. Bonaventure is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Saint Bonaventure.

St. Bonaventure graduate students pay an average of $15,192 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at St. Bonaventure University

#16

Youngstown State University

Youngstown, OH

Youngstown State University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Youngstown State University is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Youngstown.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Youngstown State University Report

Arizona State University - Skysong landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree communication and journalism programs. ASU - Skysong is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Scottsdale.

ASU - Skysong graduate students pay an average of $9,982 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Arizona State University - Skysong Report

Illinois State University ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Illinois State are $11,773 a year.

Illinois State excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read More…

Northern Illinois University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

NIU graduate students pay an average of $11,390 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Communication & Journalism at Northern Illinois University Report

#20

University of South Dakota

Vermillion, SD

University of South Dakota ranked #20 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.

USD excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list.

Read More…

#21

Asbury University

Wilmore, KY

Asbury University landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree communication and journalism programs. Asbury is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Wilmore.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Asbury are $9,990 a year.

Read More…

Universidad del Sagrado Corazon came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Sagrado is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Santurce.

Sagrado graduate students pay an average of $5,535 in tuition and fees each year.

Read More…

#23

University of Delaware

Newark, DE

University of Delaware ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. UD is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Newark.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UD are $18,128 per year.

UD also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Communication & Journalism at University of Delaware Report

#24

Bellarmine University

Louisville, KY

Bellarmine University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for communication and journalism students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. Bellarmine U is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Bellarmine U are $13,652 per year.

Read More…

South Dakota State University ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. South Dakota State is a fairly large public school located in the remote town of Brookings.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at South Dakota State are $16,917 a year.

South Dakota State also claimed a spot on our Best Communication & Journalism Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Communication & Journalism at South Dakota State University Report

Rest of the Top Best Value Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools

#26

University of Dayton

Dayton, OH
#27

Biola University

La Mirada, CA
#28

Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN
#29

Fairfield University

Fairfield, CT
#30

Valparaiso University

Valparaiso, IN
#32

John Carroll University

University Heights, OH
#33

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ
#34

Marist College

Poughkeepsie, NY
#34

Westminster College Utah

Salt Lake City, UT
#37

Villanova University

Villanova, PA
#38

Lindenwood University

Saint Charles, MO
#39

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ
#40

Liberty University

Lynchburg, VA
#43

Lasell University

Newton, MA
#46

Mississippi College

Clinton, MS

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Communication & Journalism graduate students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
49 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
50 Loyola University Maryland Baltimore, MD
51 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
52 Cornell University Ithaca, NY
52 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
52 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
55 Quinnipiac University Hamden, CT
56 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
57 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Metropolitan Campus Teaneck, NJ
58 Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
58 Clarion University of Pennsylvania Clarion, PA
60 Western Illinois University Macomb, IL
61 Arkansas State University - Main Campus Jonesboro, AR
61 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
63 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
64 Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX

Communication & Journalism by Region

View the Best Value Communication & Journalism Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 5,059
Public Relations & Advertising 2,828
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 2,562
Journalism 1,238
Communication & Journalism (Other) 341
Publishing 214

Majors Similar to Communication & Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Education 199,724
Psychology 42,013
Social Sciences 22,292
Library Science 5,929
History 4,391

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 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 Josh Hallett.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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