Best Schools for Communications & Media Studies in 2026

613 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Communications & Media Studies, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Communications & Media Studies graduate earns $35,147/yr across 613 schools.

Programs Ranked
613
Avg Earnings
$35,147/yr
Avg DW Score
46/100
AI Risk
High
54% task exposure

All Communications & Media Studies Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# Program DW Score Earnings AI Risk ROI
1 Communications & Media Studies
CUNY Graduate School and University Center · New York, NY
71
65–72
$57,782/yr High 19.7x
2 Communications & Media Studies
University of Maryland Global Campus · Adelphi, MD
69
63–72
$53,513/yr High 21.4x
3 Communications & Media Studies
Colorado State University Global · Aurora, CO
67
61–71
$49,436/yr High 21.7x
4 Communications & Media Studies
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo, CA
68
63–69
$62,183/yr High 14.1x
5 Communications & Media Studies
Florida State College at Jacksonville · Jacksonville, FL
68
61–70
$43,508/yr High 31.5x
6 Communications & Media Studies
Utah Valley University · Orem, UT
66
60–69
$44,202/yr High 23.3x
7 Communications & Media Studies
Brigham Young University · Provo, UT
67
61–69
$46,747/yr High 17.0x
8 Communications & Media Studies
Weber State University · Ogden, UT
65
59–68
$43,209/yr High 20.8x
9 Communications & Media Studies
Kennesaw State University · Kennesaw, GA
66
60–68
$43,420/yr High 22.3x
10 Communications & Media Studies
San Francisco State University · San Francisco, CA
63
55–67
$40,790/yr High 22.4x
11 Communications & Media Studies
CUNY City College · New York, NY
64
57–67
$42,734/yr High 19.3x
12 Communications & Media Studies
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · Chapel Hill, NC
62
55–67
$43,348/yr High 17.8x
13 Communications & Media Studies
California State University-Sacramento · Sacramento, CA
61
53–65
$39,304/yr High 19.8x
14 Communications & Media Studies
Brigham Young University-Idaho · Rexburg, ID
62
56–65
$36,941/yr High 25.8x
15 Communications & Media Studies
University of Maryland-College Park · College Park, MD
60
52–66
$43,696/yr High 15.5x
16 Communications & Media Studies
Metropolitan State University · Saint Paul, MN
62
56–65
$46,320/yr High 14.3x
17 Communications & Media Studies
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus · Norman, OK
62
56–64
$45,009/yr High 14.2x
18 Communications & Media Studies
Florida Gulf Coast University · Fort Myers, FL
62
56–65
$39,342/yr High 20.3x
19 Communications & Media Studies
California State University-Channel Islands · Camarillo, CA
62
56–66
$40,109/yr High 19.6x
20 Communications & Media Studies
University of North Georgia · Dahlonega, GA
62
56–65
$38,237/yr High 21.5x
21 Communications & Media Studies
University of Phoenix-Arizona · Phoenix, AZ
63
58–64
$47,919/yr High 13.0x
22 Communications & Media Studies
University of California-Berkeley · Berkeley, CA
58
48–67
$43,696/yr High 14.7x
23 Communications & Media Studies
University of Nebraska at Omaha · Omaha, NE
60
54–64
$41,327/yr High 15.5x
24 Communications & Media Studies
University of Utah · Salt Lake City, UT
61
55–64
$43,801/yr High 14.7x
25 Communications & Media Studies
University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh · Oshkosh, WI
60
54–64
$40,673/yr High 16.3x
26 Communications & Media Studies
California State University-Chico · Chico, CA
59
52–63
$38,421/yr High 17.4x
27 Communications & Media Studies
California State University-East Bay · Hayward, CA
59
50–64
$35,722/yr High 22.9x
28 Communications & Media Studies
Florida Atlantic University · Boca Raton, FL
60
53–63
$34,720/yr High 24.9x
29 Communications & Media Studies
Florida International University · Miami, FL
59
52–64
$36,424/yr High 20.7x
30 Communications & Media Studies
University of North Florida · Jacksonville, FL
59
53–63
$36,842/yr High 18.8x
31 Communications & Media Studies
University of Georgia · Athens, GA
59
53–63
$44,283/yr High 13.0x
32 Communications & Media Studies
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor · Ann Arbor, MI
58
51–64
$50,556/yr High 10.8x
33 Communications & Media Studies
University of Nevada-Reno · Reno, NV
59
52–64
$40,296/yr High 16.2x
34 Communications & Media Studies
SUNY College at Geneseo · Geneseo, NY
59
53–63
$41,070/yr High 14.6x
35 Communications & Media Studies
East Carolina University · Greenville, NC
59
52–63
$37,813/yr High 18.3x
36 Communications & Media Studies
University of North Carolina at Charlotte · Charlotte, NC
60
53–63
$38,234/yr High 17.5x
37 Communications & Media Studies
Ohio University-Eastern Campus · Saint Clairsville, OH
60
53–64
$36,666/yr High 20.6x
38 Communications & Media Studies
Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus · Chillicothe, OH
60
53–64
$36,666/yr High 20.6x
39 Communications & Media Studies
Ohio University-Southern Campus · Ironton, OH
60
53–64
$36,666/yr High 20.6x
40 Communications & Media Studies
Ohio University-Lancaster Campus · Lancaster, OH
60
53–64
$36,666/yr High 20.6x
41 Communications & Media Studies
Ohio University-Zanesville Campus · Zanesville, OH
60
53–64
$36,666/yr High 20.6x
42 Communications & Media Studies
The University of Texas Permian Basin · Odessa, TX
60
55–62
$46,203/yr High 12.0x
43 Communications & Media Studies
University of Washington-Seattle Campus · Seattle, WA
58
51–63
$44,638/yr High 12.5x
44 Communications & Media Studies
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater · Whitewater, WI
59
52–64
$39,367/yr High 16.9x
45 Communications & Media Studies
University of Washington-Bothell Campus · Bothell, WA
58
51–63
$44,638/yr High 12.6x
46 Communications & Media Studies
Arizona State University Campus Immersion · Tempe, AZ
58
52–62
$44,571/yr High 11.9x
47 Communications & Media Studies
University of Arkansas · Fayetteville, AR
58
51–63
$40,095/yr High 14.7x
48 Communications & Media Studies
University of California-Santa Barbara · Santa Barbara, CA
57
50–63
$46,598/yr High 11.3x
49 Communications & Media Studies
San Diego State University · San Diego, CA
58
51–63
$37,773/yr High 17.0x
50 Communications & Media Studies
University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL
59
53–62
$37,021/yr High 18.0x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Communications & Media Studies?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, CUNY Graduate School and University Center ranks #1 for Communications & Media Studies with a score of 71/100 and graduate earnings of $57,782/yr.
How much do Communications & Media Studies graduates earn?
Across 613 schools, Communications & Media Studies graduates earn an average of $35,147/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $62,183/yr.
Is Communications & Media Studies a good major for AI resistance?
Communications & Media Studies has an average AI task exposure of 54%, rated "High". This field has significant AI exposure. Check individual program pages for scenario analysis.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.