Best Communication and Media Studies Degrees in the US by ROI

Top colleges ranked by estimated 20-year net return on investment across all active states. Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

Programs Analyzed

Colleges with salary data

Average 20-Yr Net ROI

+$221,030

Across all programs

Average Annual Cost

$46,880

Cost of attendance

#	College	State	20-Yr Net ROI	Median Salary	Annual Cost	Avg Debt
1	Stanford University Grad rate: 94.0%	CA	+$1,789,236	$139,678	$82,162	N/A	Full ROI →
2	Columbia University in the City of New York Grad rate: 95.1%	NY	+$929,456	$97,077	$86,042	N/A	Full ROI →
3	George Washington University Grad rate: 85.0%	DC	+$687,146	$84,430	$80,727	N/A	Full ROI →
4	Northwestern University Grad rate: 96.2%	IL	+$679,732	$84,767	$87,804	N/A	Full ROI →
5	California State University-Fullerton Grad rate: 69.3%	CA	+$618,986	$74,626	$16,767	N/A	Full ROI →
6	Johns Hopkins University Grad rate: 94.3%	MD	+$574,540	$78,857	$81,300	N/A	Full ROI →
7	Westminster University Grad rate: 66.8%	UT	+$524,698	$73,915	$56,801	N/A	Full ROI →
8	Northeastern University Professional Programs	MA	+$519,320	$67,966	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
9	Purdue University-Main Campus Grad rate: 83.1%	IN	+$501,546	$69,334	$22,567	N/A	Full ROI →
10	University of Southern California Grad rate: 92.2%	CA	+$473,164	$74,126	$84,678	N/A	Full ROI →
11	National University Grad rate: 44.0%	CA	+$461,328	$68,778	$37,116	N/A	Full ROI →
12	Seton Hall University Grad rate: 71.6%	NJ	+$439,908	$70,495	$64,996	N/A	Full ROI →
13	American University Grad rate: 79.0%	DC	+$420,022	$70,156	$71,549	N/A	Full ROI →
14	Pace University Grad rate: 61.4%	NY	+$404,136	$69,016	$68,092	N/A	Full ROI →
15	Queens University of Charlotte Grad rate: 67.0%	NC	+$392,972	$67,343	$56,944	N/A	Full ROI →
16	San Diego State University Grad rate: 78.1%	CA	+$371,066	$63,289	$27,357	N/A	Full ROI →
17	Northeastern University Grad rate: 90.8%	MA	+$356,614	$67,966	$81,353	N/A	Full ROI →
18	Washington State University Grad rate: 62.0%	WA	+$262,608	$57,848	$27,176	N/A	Full ROI →
19	Kennesaw State University Grad rate: 47.2%	GA	+$250,404	$56,982	$24,618	N/A	Full ROI →
20	University of Florida Grad rate: 90.7%	FL	+$248,822	$56,613	$21,719	N/A	Full ROI →
21	Florida International University Grad rate: 71.3%	FL	+$238,328	$55,972	$20,556	N/A	Full ROI →
22	Texas Tech University Grad rate: 67.1%	TX	+$207,816	$55,138	$27,472	N/A	Full ROI →
23	California State University-Northridge Grad rate: 56.1%	CA	+$207,226	$54,393	$20,317	N/A	Full ROI →
24	University of Denver Grad rate: 77.7%	CO	+$206,880	$59,846	$75,020	N/A	Full ROI →
25	La Salle University Grad rate: 59.8%	PA	+$189,648	$55,987	$45,046	N/A	Full ROI →
26	New York University Grad rate: 87.8%	NY	+$166,158	$58,220	$79,121	N/A	Full ROI →
27	Colorado State University-Fort Collins Grad rate: 66.8%	CO	+$164,288	$53,184	$29,696	N/A	Full ROI →
28	Sacred Heart University Grad rate: 73.7%	CT	+$155,422	$56,438	$66,669	N/A	Full ROI →
29	Trinity Washington University Grad rate: 41.5%	DC	+$152,358	$53,124	$35,061	N/A	Full ROI →
30	Marquette University Grad rate: 81.3%	WI	+$116,854	$54,166	$63,233	N/A	Full ROI →
31	DePaul University Grad rate: 69.7%	IL	+$114,066	$53,650	$59,467	N/A	Full ROI →
32	Texas State University Grad rate: 56.0%	TX	+$111,424	$50,206	$26,348	N/A	Full ROI →
33	Arizona State University Digital Immersion Grad rate: 27.4%	AZ	+$101,380	$47,069	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
34	Northern Arizona University Grad rate: 58.0%	AZ	+$87,450	$49,322	$29,495	N/A	Full ROI →
35	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Grad rate: 50.9%	TX	+$85,874	$48,128	$18,343	N/A	Full ROI →
36	University of Colorado Colorado Springs Grad rate: 43.9%	CO	+$85,294	$48,636	$23,713	N/A	Full ROI →
37	Troy University Grad rate: 46.2%	AL	+$83,448	$48,354	$21,816	N/A	Full ROI →
38	Webster University Grad rate: 60.0%	MO	+$67,204	$50,282	$49,218	N/A	Full ROI →
39	Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Grad rate: 52.5%	IL	+$49,044	$47,379	$29,268	N/A	Full ROI →
40	Lasell University Grad rate: 57.1%	MA	+$47,946	$50,736	$63,387	N/A	Full ROI →
41	Arizona State University Campus Immersion Grad rate: 67.4%	AZ	+$45,286	$47,069	$28,047	N/A	Full ROI →
42	Quinnipiac University Grad rate: 77.3%	CT	+$43,408	$51,137	$69,666	N/A	Full ROI →
43	University of the Incarnate Word Grad rate: 52.5%	TX	+$38,520	$48,511	$45,850	N/A	Full ROI →
44	Emerson College Grad rate: 78.2%	MA	+$20,494	$50,740	$77,153	N/A	Full ROI →
45	Illinois State University Grad rate: 66.7%	IL	+$3,664	$45,429	$32,458	N/A	Full ROI →
46	Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Grad rate: 70.4%	LA	-$7,116	$45,077	$34,328	N/A	Full ROI →
47	Georgia State University Grad rate: 54.3%	GA	-$12,810	$44,013	$26,535	N/A	Full ROI →
48	Walden University	MN	-$17,220	$41,139	N/A	N/A	Full ROI →
49	Austin Peay State University Grad rate: 43.9%	TN	-$23,540	$43,502	$26,790	N/A	Full ROI →
50	Clark University Grad rate: 76.7%	MA	-$37,672	$46,559	$64,426	N/A	Full ROI →

How ROI is calculated

20-Year Net ROI = Gross Earnings (salary × 20) − Total Degree Cost − Debt Payoff (×1.35) − Baseline Opportunity Cost ($42,000 × 20). Data from the U.S. College Scorecard.

Find Best Communication and Media Studies Degrees by State

Browse Communication and Media Studies programs ranked by 20-year ROI in every state that offers this degree.