Top Mass Comm Institutes in the USA

Many famous people are graduates of communication colleges, such as actor Denzel Washington and Farside cartoonist Gary Larson. It's no wonder, given the versatility of the degree. Communication programs may offer areas of emphasis such as rhetoric, mass communication, organizational communication, political communication and health communication. The following list relies on information from College Crunch and the National Communication Association.

East Coast

The Pennsylvania State University has the largest accredited communications program in the country, Penn State's College of Communications, located in the Carnegie Building at the University Park campus, offers undergraduate degrees in advertising/public relations, film-video, media studies, journalism and telecommunications. The College is home to several communication-related research centers, which gives students an opportunity to put communication theory into practice. For more information, go to comm.psu.edu

The University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communication, located at 3620 Walnut Street at the University's main campus in Philadelphia, consistently ranks among the top programs in the country. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, students study a variety of topics including how communication creates and sustains organizations as well as the influence of communication in contemporary culture. Students also benefit from the expertise of some of the nation's foremost communication studies scholars. For more information, see asc.upenn.edu.

Syracuse University

With a particular focus on mass communication, The Newhouse School of Public Communication is housed in the S.I. Newhouse Communications Center on the University's main campus in Syracuse, New York. The School offers majors in advertising, broadcast journalism, magazine journalism, public relations, television/radio/film, photography, graphic arts, and newspaper journalism. The School is home to international experts on a wide variety of topics, including First Amendment rights and the role of television in popular culture. For more information, see newhouse.syr.edu.

Midwest

The University of Kansas Department of Communication Studies is home to one of the nation's top-ranked debate teams and offers a bachelor's degree in communication studies. The department is in Baily Hall on the main campus in Lawrence, Kansas. Students have the opportunity to study abroad as well as to participate in the honors program. For more information, see www2.ku.edu/~coms.

Bowling Green State University has more than 1,000 undergraduates studying in the School of Media and Communication, located in West Hall on the main campus in Bowling Green, Ohio. The School encourages students to complete internships as well as to participate in the Hong Kong Baptist University Exchange Program. Students can earn degrees in communication, interpersonal communication, telecommunications and journalism. For more information, see bgsu.edu/departments/smc/index.html

The Communication Studies program at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor focuses on mass media and new media and the relationships between media and culture. The research areas of the faculty include, among other topics, media, power, and politics; media psychology; and media effects and sexuality. Beginning in 2010, the Department will be housed in a new facility on the North Quad. For more information: www.lsa.umich.edu/comm

The University of Minnesota's Department of Communication Studies has a dozen faculty members and about 600 undergraduate students. Located in Ford Hall on the main campus in Minneapolis, the Department offers a communication degree with a choice of three areas of interest: rhetorical studies, critical media studies and interpersonal communication. The program also offers students internship and sponsors the Communication Studies Association for interested student. For more information, see comm.umn.edu.

The University of Iowa's Department of Communication Studies is one of the largest degree programs on the university's main campus in Iowa City, Iowa. Concentrations include six clusters: communication and organizational life; communication and relationships; communication and health; media, culture, and technology; intercultural and international communication; and rhetoric and public advocacy. For more information, see uiowa.edu/commstud.
Southwest

The University of Texas-Austin's Department of Communication Studies has established itself as a preeminent center for research about communication studies. The faculty is impressive; five of them are ranked among the 100 most prolific researchers since the communication field developed in the early 20th century. For more information, see commstudies.utexas.edu.

The University of Arizona's Department of Communication offers students an in-depth look at the role of communication in everyday life. More than 1,000 undergraduates study under the guidance of an award-winning faculty. The Department offers many co-curricular activities including an honors program, study abroad and internships. For more information, see comm.arizona.edu.

Southeast

The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's communication studies degree is ranked No. 3 on College Crunch's top colleges for communication majors. The program offers four major concentrations, including rhetorical studies; interpersonal and organizational; media studies and production; and performance studies. UNC also offers an interdisciplinary minor in cinema studies. Part of the department's mission is to encourage an awareness of communication choices, behavior and technologies. For more information, go to comm.unc.edu.

For students interested in mass media, The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia's main campus in Athens, Georgia, offers seven majors, including advertising, broadcast news, newspapers, magazines, public relations, publication management and telecommunication arts. With more than a half dozen student organizations housed in the college, students are encouraged to pursue co-curricular activities that place an emphasis on putting theory into practice. For more information, see grady.uga.edu.

The Florida State University's School of Communication, located in the University Center complex on the main campus in Tallahassee, offers four majors and a minor in Hispanic marketing communication. Students can apply to participate in the "Communication in London" program, which runs the first six weeks of every summer term. Students may also pursue a professional communication major at the university's campus in Panama City. For more information, visit comm.cci.fsu.edu.

West Coast

The Annenberg School of Communication at the University of California Los Angeles hosts the School of Communication and the School of Journalism. More than 80 full-time faculty teach an expansive catalog of courses and are often called upon as media commentators about contemporary issues. The school offers degrees in communication, journalism and public relations. For more information, see annenberg.usc.edu.

Vanguard University of Southern California's Communication Department offers students two majors: communication studies and cinema/digital media. Vanguard's location in Costa Mesa, California, makes it an ideal spot for those interested in cinema/digital media studies. It is a member of the Los Angeles Film Studies Center, which allows students to gain academic credit while working as interns in the film industry. For more information, see vanguard.edu/communication.