Best Communications Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Illinois, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism.
57 schools in Illinois run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,325 people a year. The job pays a median of $78,150 in Illinois across about 1,580 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Illinois that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
16 programs in Illinois that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Illinois (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Illinois page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0702In Illinois → | 977 | 29.4% | 20 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0101In Illinois → | 623 | 18.7% | 24 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0100In Illinois → | 422 | 12.7% | 10 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0102In Illinois → | 300 | 9.0% | 9 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0701In Illinois → | 287 | 8.6% | 15 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 6 | CIP 09.0903In Illinois → | 242 | 7.3% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0401In Illinois → | 222 | 6.7% | 15 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 8 | CIP 09.0902In Illinois → | 79 | 2.4% | 7 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 9 | CIP 09.0906In Illinois → | 60 | 1.8% | 5 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 10 | CIP 52.0501In Illinois → | 27 | 0.8% | 4 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 11 | CIP 09.9999In Illinois → | 26 | 0.8% | 4 | $36,931 | $24,500 |
| 12 | CIP 09.0905In Illinois → | 25 | 0.8% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 13 | CIP 09.0900In Illinois → | 18 | 0.5% | 2 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 14 | CIP 50.0607In Illinois → | 10 | 0.3% | 3 | $25,014 | $24,650 |
| 15 | CIP 09.0908In Illinois → | 4 | 0.1% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 16 | CIP 09.0499In Illinois → | 3 | 0.1% | 1 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
Top 25 schools in Illinois
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 29 of the 57 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Northwestern University Evanston, IL Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 818 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | $24,611 | 95% | $14,799 | 8% |
| 2 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 6 feeder programs | 530 | Advertising | $48,063 | 85% | — | 42% |
| 3 | Illinois State University Normal, IL Public · 4 feeder programs | 233 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $38,125 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 4 | DePaul University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 210 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $34,453 | 68% | $28,141 | 76% |
| 5 | Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 109 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $38,490 | 49% | — | 70% |
| 6 | Eastern Illinois University Charleston, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 106 | Communication, General | $37,778 | 47% | — | 65% |
| 7 | Illinois Media School - Chicago Campus Chicago, IL Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 104 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | $18,740 | 61% | $25,472 | — |
| 8 | Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Edwardsville, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 104 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $36,569 | 57% | — | 97% |
| 9 | Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 100 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | $26,227 | 73% | $33,454 | 82% |
| 10 | Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs | 88 | Radio and Television | $24,191 | 52% | $28,087 | 89% |
| 11 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL Public · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Communication, General | $38,912 | 62% | — | 77% |
| 12 | Illinois Media School Chicago, IL Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 71 | Radio and Television | $18,740 | 80% | $30,188 | — |
| 13 | Southern Illinois University - Carbondale Carbondale, IL Public · 4 feeder programs | 65 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,465 | 62% | — | 87% |
| 14 | College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 56 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | — | 25% | — | — |
| 15 | University of Chicago Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 52 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | — | 96% | $13,333 | 4% |
| 16 | Western Illinois University Macomb, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 51 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,142 | 45% | — | 71% |
| 17 | Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 47 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | — | 44% | — | — |
| 18 | Bradley University Peoria, IL Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 46 | Sports Communication | $38,351 | 76% | $21,768 | 77% |
| 19 | University of Illinois Springfield Springfield, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Communication, General | $32,050 | 53% | — | 86% |
| 20 | Saint Xavier University Chicago, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 27 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,169 | 57% | $12,935 | 84% |
| 21 | Wheaton College Wheaton, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 26 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,321 | 85% | $23,461 | 87% |
| 22 | Olivet Nazarene University Bourbonnais, IL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 24 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $23,259 | 61% | $20,903 | 56% |
| 23 | Augustana College Rock Island, IL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 22 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $40,806 | 73% | $14,960 | 63% |
| 24 | Aurora University Aurora, IL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $30,728 | 60% | $18,431 | 81% |
| 25 | Governors State University University Park, IL Public · 2 feeder programs | 22 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $27,071 | 22% | — | 48% |
All 57 schools in Illinois
Every school in Illinois with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern University | Evanston | Private not-for-profit | 818 | 5 |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | Champaign | Public | 530 | 6 |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | 233 | 4 |
| DePaul University | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 210 | 6 |
| Northern Illinois University | Dekalb | Public | 109 | 2 |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | 106 | 5 |
| Illinois Media School - Chicago Campus | Chicago | Private for-profit | 104 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | 104 | 2 |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 100 | 4 |
| Columbia College Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 88 | 8 |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | 81 | 1 |
| Illinois Media School | Chicago | Private for-profit | 71 | 3 |
| Southern Illinois University - Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | 65 | 4 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | Public | 56 | 2 |
| University of Chicago | Chicago | Private not-for-profit | 52 | 2 |
What communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Illinois
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $78,580. Illinois pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Illinois employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Illinois
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Communications Teachers, Postsecondary page.
How to become a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Doctoral or professional degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Illinois
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 23 majors mapped to Communications Teachers, Postsecondary22 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
- 09.0401Journalism
- 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
- 09.0405Business and Economic Journalism(no graduates reported)
- 09.0406Cultural Journalism
- 09.0407Science/Health/Environmental Journalism
- 09.0499Journalism, Other
- 09.0701Radio and Television
- 09.0702Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
- 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
- 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
- 09.0903Advertising
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 09.0905Health Communication
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
- 09.0908Technical and Scientific Communication
- 09.9999Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
- 50.0607Documentary Production
- 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
- 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing communications teachers, postsecondary programs in Illinois.
What degree do you need to become a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary?+
Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia, which awarded 977 degrees in Illinois in 2024-25, 29.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 16 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Radio, Public Relations, Journalism, plus 3 more. Together they graduate about 3,325 people a year in Illinois.
How much do communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Illinois?+
The median is $78,150 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 0.5% below the U.S. median of $78,580. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for communications teachers, postsecondary growing?+
BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 2,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Illinois?+
57 institutions in Illinois reported graduates from at least one of the 16 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do communications teachers, postsecondary work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Communication Professor, Communication Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1122.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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