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Communications professor education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a communications professor. Communications professors usually study communication, journalism, or business. 55% of communications professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 257 real communications professor resumes to see exactly what communications professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for communications professors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online communications professor courses to help get the education required to be a communications professor.
What education do you need to become a communications professor?
What degree do you need to be a communications professor?
- Bachelor's, 55%
- Master's, 31%
- Associate, 6%
- Doctorate, 6%
- Other Degrees, 2%
What should I major in to become a communications professor?
- Communication, 34%
- Journalism, 12%
- Business, 7%
- Public Relations, 7%
- Other Majors, 40%
Most common colleges for communications professors
| Communications professor common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 14.29% |
| Northern Illinois University | 8.16% |
| Miami University | 6.12% |
| University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus | 6.12% |
| University of California, Irvine | 4.08% |
Best majors for communications professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Communication | 34.3% |
| 2 | Journalism | 12.0% |
| 3 | Business | 7.4% |
| 4 | Public Relations | 7.4% |
| 5 | English | 6.9% |
Best colleges for communications professors
The best colleges for communications professors are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A communications professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for communications professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become communications professors.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
3. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
5. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
6. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
7. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
8. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
20 best online courses for communications professors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for communications professors
The most affordable schools for communications professors are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for communications professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for communications professors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
8. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
9. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for communications professors
The hardest universities for communications professors to get into are Columbia University in the City of New York, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for communications professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for communications professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
6. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
9. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for communications professors
The easiest schools for communications professors to get into are D'Youville College, barry university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a communications professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for communications professors.
1. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Gwynedd Mercy University
Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,031
6. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
7. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
8. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
9. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average communications professor salary by education level
| Communications professor education level | Communications professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $75,949 |
| Doctorate Degree | $109,164 |
Communications professor education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025