What master's in communication programs are available in Idaho?

Idaho's options include Boise State University's Master of Arts in Communication, which emphasizes organizational communication and advocacy, and Idaho State University's Master of Arts/Master of Science offerings in the communication field. The University of Idaho also provides relevant graduate programs. Each program carries a different focus, so comparing concentrations is a smart first step.

How much does a master's in communication cost in Idaho?

Tuition varies by institution and residency status. Boise State's in-state graduate tuition runs roughly $8,000 to $9,000 per year, while Idaho State and the University of Idaho fall in a similar range for residents. Out-of-state students should expect higher rates, though online formats and Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) agreements can reduce overall costs.

Can you earn a master's in communication online in Idaho?

Yes. Boise State University offers its MA in Communication in a fully online format, making it one of the most flexible options for working professionals in the state. Some programs at other Idaho institutions provide hybrid or partially online coursework, so students who need scheduling flexibility have more than one path to choose from.

What are the admissions requirements for communication master's programs in Idaho?

Most Idaho programs require a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in communication), a minimum GPA around 3.0, a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. Some programs ask for GRE scores, although waivers are increasingly common. Professional experience can strengthen an application, especially for organizational communication tracks.

What can you do with a master's in communication from an Idaho university?

Graduates pursue roles in public relations, corporate communication, higher education, media management, and nonprofit advocacy. The degree also prepares students for positions such as training and development specialist or marketing communications manager. BLS data shows that media and communication occupations nationally carry competitive median salaries, and Idaho's growing tech and healthcare sectors create additional demand for skilled communicators.

How long does it take to complete a master's in communication in Idaho?

Full-time students typically finish in two years (about 30 to 36 credit hours). Part-time and online learners often complete the degree in two and a half to three years. Some programs offer accelerated scheduling or allow transfer credits, which can shorten the timeline. Thesis and non-thesis tracks may also differ in total time to completion.

Best Master's in Communication in Idaho (2026 Guide)

What you’ll learn in this article…

Idaho State University is the primary in-state option for a dedicated master's in communication degree.
Graduate tuition at Idaho's public universities runs well below the national average for comparable programs.
Specialization tracks include organizational communication and public relations at Boise State and Idaho State.
Idaho communication salaries vary by role, but the state's low cost of living strengthens overall earning power.

Idaho's tech and healthcare sectors have expanded hiring for communication specialists, particularly in content strategy, public affairs, and organizational development roles. That growth creates real demand for graduate-level training, yet the state offers a notably limited set of master's programs in the discipline. Idaho State University anchors the options, with in-state tuition around $11,500 annually for graduate study.

The practical challenge is clear: fewer programs means less variety in specialization, but it also means less confusion about where to apply. Employers in Boise's tech corridor and the regional health systems increasingly list master's credentials as preferred qualifications, making the timing favorable for professionals ready to invest in advanced study. If you want to compare Idaho's options against a wider field, our list of the best online communication master's programs is a useful starting point.

Best Master's in Communication Programs in Idaho

Idaho State University is the sole in-state institution offering a dedicated master's in communication, making it a standout choice for Idaho residents and distance learners alike. The university also houses an ASHA-accredited Speech-Language Pathology program with both campus and online tracks, broadening the options for students interested in communication sciences. Our affordability-weighted ranking considers tuition, institutional outcomes, and program flexibility; scroll down to the full methodology section for details on how we evaluated these programs.

Factors considered

Affordability and net price
Graduation and retention rates
Program flexibility and format
Institutional earnings outcomes
Specialization relevance

Data sources

Independent program research
Internal program database
NCES-IPEDS federal institutional data — nces.ed.gov
College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov

Idaho State University

Pocatello, ID · $12,000/yr

Best for: Idaho residents seeking affordable online flexibility

Idaho State University is the only institution in the state offering a Master of Arts in Communication alongside an ASHA-accredited MS in Speech-Language Pathology. With an average net price of $12,193 and a median graduate debt of $20,039, ISU delivers a relatively affordable path for Idaho residents pursuing advanced communication credentials. The university's 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio supports meaningful mentorship, and its institution-wide median earnings reach $45,608 within ten years of entry. ISU recently expanded its MA in Communication to a fully online, synchronous format, making it accessible well beyond its Pocatello and Meridian campuses.

Master of Arts in Communication — Online

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Fully online with synchronous classes or on-campus delivery
30 credit hours designed for two-year completion
Choose between a thesis or graduate degree paper track
Flexible, interdisciplinary curriculum across media and persuasion

GRE verbal score at the 40th percentile required for admission
Application deadlines: April 1 (Summer/Fall), November 1 (Spring)
Customizable coursework spanning communication subfields

Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology — On-Campus

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ASHA-accredited program with campus and online pathways
24-month full-time campus track at Pocatello and Meridian
36-month online track with local clinical placements
Combines academic coursework with hands-on clinical practicum

Covers pediatric and adult populations across diverse settings
Evidence-based practice and interprofessional collaboration focus
Prepares graduates for the Praxis licensure examination
Recent admitted cohort average GPA of 3.73

Tuition and Cost Comparison for Idaho Communication Master's Programs

Idaho's public universities typically offer graduate tuition well below national averages, making the state an attractive option for working professionals pursuing a communication master's degree. The figures below reflect institution-wide tuition and net price data for Idaho State University. Keep in mind that the net price shown is an institution-wide average after financial aid and is not a guaranteed quote for any individual student.

Idaho State University graduate costs: $11,522 in-state tuition, $30,632 out-of-state tuition, $12,193 average net price, and $20,039 median debt at completion

Online vs. On-Campus Communication Programs in Idaho

Choosing between online and on-campus formats is one of the most consequential decisions you will make when pursuing a master's in communication in Idaho. Idaho State online degrees and hybrid options have expanded in recent years, giving working professionals more flexibility than ever. That said, each format brings distinct advantages worth weighing against your career goals, schedule, and learning style.

Pros

Online programs offer scheduling flexibility that lets working professionals complete coursework around full-time jobs and family obligations.
Many online communication programs charge the same tuition rate regardless of residency, eliminating the cost penalty for out-of-state learners.
Studying online removes the need to relocate, an important factor for professionals already established in Idaho communities.
On-campus students benefit from face-to-face networking with faculty, peers, and visiting industry professionals throughout the program.
Campus-based learners typically have stronger access to graduate assistantships, teaching opportunities, and funded research positions.
On-campus formats often include hands-on practica, media labs, and communication centers that deepen applied skill development.

Cons

Online students may find it harder to build the spontaneous professional relationships that come from sharing physical classroom and campus spaces.
Some Idaho communication programs reserve practicum placements and assistantship funding primarily for on-campus cohorts.
On-campus programs require a fixed class schedule and proximity to the university, limiting options for professionals who cannot relocate.
Hybrid formats can sometimes feel disjointed, requiring careful self-management to stay engaged across both in-person and virtual components.

Admissions Requirements and Program Length

Admissions requirements are the academic and documentary thresholds you need to meet before a graduate program will review your file. For Idaho's two main public communication master's programs, at Boise State University and Idaho State University, that means a combination of GPA standards, application materials, and (in some cases) prerequisite coursework. Knowing what each program asks for upfront helps you plan a realistic application timeline, especially if you're balancing work and study.

GPA, GRE, and Application Materials

Boise State University's Graduate College requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.00 for regular admission.¹ Applicants whose GPA falls below that threshold may still be considered through provisional admission pathways, but the 3.00 benchmark is the standard most prospective students should aim for. The GRE is not universally required across Boise State's communication graduate offerings, and many communication-focused master's programs nationally have moved away from standardized testing. If you're exploring programs that have dropped testing requirements altogether, our guide to online masters in communication no GRE covers several strong options. Still, confirm the current testing policy directly with the department before you register for an exam you may not need.

Typical application materials include a statement of purpose explaining your research interests and career goals, two to three letters of recommendation (academic references carry the most weight), an updated resume or CV, and official transcripts from every institution you've attended. Some concentrations, particularly those with a writing-intensive or public relations focus, may also ask for a writing sample that demonstrates your ability to produce polished, audience-aware prose.

Prerequisites and Program Length

If your undergraduate degree is in a field outside communication, journalism, or media studies, expect to complete one or two foundational courses (often in communication theory or research methods) before or during your first semester. These leveling requirements are common and typically don't count toward the degree itself.

Most communication master's programs in Idaho run 30 to 36 credit hours. Full-time students who take 9 to 12 credits per semester generally finish in about two years, including a thesis or capstone project. Part-time students, which describes most working professionals, usually take three to four years, completing one or two courses per term. Online and hybrid formats can offer additional pacing flexibility, including summer coursework that shortens the overall timeline. If you'd prefer to complete your entire degree remotely, our ranking of the best online master's in communication programs is a helpful starting point.

Questions to Ask Yourself

Do you need an online-flexible program, or can you commit to on-campus coursework in Idaho?

Online degrees allow you to keep working and avoid relocation, but on-campus study provides direct access to Idaho-based internships and faculty connections.

Are you pursuing a specialization like organizational communication or public relations, and does the program offer it?

Not all programs cover every niche; confirm that your target school has dedicated courses and experienced instructors in your chosen area.

Have you calculated the total cost, including the opportunity cost of reducing work hours during the program?

Lost income from scaling back your job can rival tuition costs, so estimate the full financial picture to make sure the degree pays off.

Specializations and Concentrations: Organizational Communication, Public Relations, and More

Choosing a concentration is not just an academic decision; it shapes which job titles you can credibly pursue and which employers will see your degree as directly relevant. Idaho's two master's-level communication programs take meaningfully different approaches to specialization, so understanding the tradeoff up front will save you from a mismatch later.

Boise State: A Named Concentration in Relational and Organizational Studies

Boise State University's M.A. in Communication includes a formal concentration in Relational and Organizational Studies. This track is built for professionals who want to work on the human side of organizations: team dynamics, leadership communication, conflict resolution, and the strategic role communication plays in shaping workplace culture. Graduates from this track tend to move into internal communications roles, human resources, organizational development consulting, or management positions where understanding how people communicate across hierarchies is a core job requirement. If you are searching for an organizational communication degree in Idaho, Boise State's concentration maps directly to that goal. Students interested in comparing similar programs nationwide can explore online masters in organizational communication options as well.

Idaho State: Flexibility Without a Formal Concentration

Idaho State University's 30-credit M.A. in Communication does not offer named concentrations.² Instead, the program is structured around a broad set of course topics, including Strategic Communication, Crisis Communication, Social Media and Advertising, Visual Culture, and Design Theory, alongside faculty expertise in Corporate Communications, Multiplatform Journalism, Rhetoric and Media Affairs, and Visual Media.² That breadth functions as its own kind of specialization menu: students who work closely with an advisor can build a course sequence that leans toward public relations and corporate messaging, digital and visual media, or rhetorical and media criticism.

For students targeting a public relations focus in Idaho, ISU's curriculum in strategic communication, crisis communication, and social media advertising covers the conceptual and practical ground that agency and corporate PR roles demand. Those who want to browse dedicated PR programs should also consider an online master's in public relations. The ISU program culminates in either a thesis or a graduate degree paper, which gives you a portfolio piece directly relevant to your chosen focus.²

Matching Your Concentration to Your Career Path

The practical takeaway is straightforward. An organizational communication focus, whether through Boise State's named concentration or a self-directed course sequence at ISU, positions you for internal strategy and people-management roles. A public relations or strategic communication emphasis points toward agency work, corporate communications departments, and brand or media relations positions. For a broader look at what these specializations lead to professionally, see our guide to careers with a masters in communication.

Neither program offers a separate health communication or digital media concentration at this time, though ISU's faculty expertise in visual media and multiplatform journalism means those interests can inform elective choices and thesis topics even without a formal label attached.

Career Outcomes and Salary Expectations for Idaho Communication Graduates

What can you realistically earn with a master's in communication in Idaho, and which employers are actually hiring?

Those are fair questions to ask before committing to a graduate program, and the answers are more encouraging than Idaho's reputation as a lower-wage state might suggest.

What BLS Data Shows for Idaho Communication Roles

According to 2024 wage estimates from the Idaho Department of Labor, public relations specialists in Idaho earn a median annual wage of $62,400, or about $30.00 per hour.¹ That figure sits below the national median of $69,780 reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which reflects the regional cost-of-labor difference common in mountain west states.² What the raw number does not show is purchasing power: housing, transportation, and everyday expenses in Boise and Pocatello cost significantly less than in Seattle, San Francisco, or Denver, so the gap in take-home value is narrower than the gap in nominal salary.

The full wage spread for PR specialists in Idaho runs from roughly $46,770 at the 25th percentile to $83,070 at the 75th percentile, meaning experienced professionals in senior roles can reach strong six-figure-adjacent territory.¹ Total statewide employment in that occupation is approximately 570, a small but stable market.

Other communication-related roles round out the picture. Training and development specialists in Idaho earn in the $65,000 to $70,000 range at the median, making them among the better-compensated communication-adjacent positions in the state.¹ Media and communication workers broadly fall in the $50,000 to $55,000 range at the median, though that category spans a wide variety of roles.

Program-Level Earnings: A Note on Available Data

Program-level earnings outcomes for Idaho communication master's programs are not yet available through federal reporting systems for most programs in this article. Where institutional data does exist at the university level, Idaho State University graduates across programs report a median earnings figure in the mid-$40,000s roughly a decade post-enrollment, though that reflects the full mix of programs and credentials rather than communication master's completers specifically. Treat it as context rather than a precise prediction for your outcomes.

Who Is Hiring in Idaho

A master's in communication opens doors across several high-activity sectors in the state. Many of these roles align with the broader landscape of communication graduate jobs profiled nationally:

State and local government: Idaho's executive agencies, the legislature, and public university systems all maintain communications and public affairs offices that recruit graduate-level candidates.
Healthcare systems: St. Luke's Health System and Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center, both based in the Boise metro, employ communications professionals in marketing, community outreach, and internal communications roles.
Technology and semiconductors: Micron Technology, headquartered in Boise, has a substantial communications and corporate affairs function. The broader Boise tech corridor has grown steadily and includes startups that need communication talent without the budget to compete with Silicon Valley salaries.
Consulting and PR firms: A growing cluster of boutique PR and strategic communications firms in Boise serves regional clients in agriculture, real estate, healthcare, and energy.

Making Sense of the Numbers

A $62,000 to $70,000 salary in Boise carries materially more weight than the same number in Portland or Los Angeles. Idaho consistently ranks among the more affordable states for housing relative to income, and the absence of certain taxes in some financial scenarios adds to take-home value. For professionals already living and working in Idaho, or those drawn by outdoor lifestyle and lower cost of living, a communication master's can provide a meaningful earnings boost and clear career mobility without requiring a cross-country move.

Idaho Communication Salaries at a Glance

Understanding the financial picture helps you weigh whether a master's in communication in Idaho is worth the investment. The figures below pair Idaho-specific salary data with institutional cost and debt metrics so you can evaluate the return on your degree.

Idaho PR specialist median wage of $55,990, media worker median of $40,450, median graduate debt of $20,039, and 2.28x ROI ratio

How We Ranked Idaho's Master's in Communication Programs

A ranking methodology is only useful if it reflects what actually matters to students weighing graduate school options. For this guide, we built our evaluation around affordability because communication master's programs represent a significant investment, and Idaho students deserve transparency about the true cost of each pathway. You can explore our full Rankings Methodology for additional detail.

Affordability as the Primary Lens

Our rankings weight financial factors most heavily. We examined net price (what students actually pay after institutional aid), median debt at graduation, and financial aid metrics to determine which programs deliver genuine value. This approach recognizes that a program's prestige means little if graduates emerge with unmanageable debt relative to their earning potential in Idaho's job market.

Data Sources and Their Limitations

We drew from multiple authoritative sources to build these rankings:

College Scorecard: Program-level outcome data, including debt figures and post-graduation earnings where available
IPEDS: Institutional tuition rates and financial aid statistics
Graduation rates: Institution-wide completion percentages

An important caveat: graduation rates reflect each university's overall performance, not communication programs specifically. A school's 60% graduation rate tells you something about institutional support systems, but individual program completion may differ.

Both Idaho State University and Boise State University hold full accreditation from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, confirming their academic quality meets regional standards.¹² Idaho State University's most recent evaluation was a Fall 2024 Mid-Cycle Review, with its next evaluation scheduled for Fall 2027. Neither institution carries ACEJMC accreditation for journalism or mass communication programs, which is worth noting if you plan to pursue media-focused concentrations.⁴

A Complete Picture, Not a Selective List

Idaho's graduate communication landscape is compact. Rather than manufacturing a "top 10" from a limited pool, we evaluated every regionally accredited master's program in the state. This comprehensive approach means the ranking reflects all available options, giving you a genuine comparison rather than an artificially selective list.

Frequently Asked Questions About Communication Master's Programs in Idaho

Below you'll find quick answers to the questions prospective students ask most often about pursuing a master's in communication in Idaho. Each response draws on program details, tuition figures, and career data covered in the sections above.

What master's in communication programs are available in Idaho?: Idaho's options include Boise State University's Master of Arts in Communication, which emphasizes organizational communication and advocacy, and Idaho State University's Master of Arts/Master of Science offerings in the communication field. The University of Idaho also provides relevant graduate programs. Each program carries a different focus, so comparing concentrations is a smart first step.
How much does a master's in communication cost in Idaho?: Tuition varies by institution and residency status. Boise State's in-state graduate tuition runs roughly $8,000 to $9,000 per year, while Idaho State and the University of Idaho fall in a similar range for residents. Out-of-state students should expect higher rates, though online formats and Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) agreements can reduce overall costs.
Can you earn a master's in communication online in Idaho?: Yes. Boise State University offers its MA in Communication in a fully online format, making it one of the most flexible options for working professionals in the state. Some programs at other Idaho institutions provide hybrid or partially online coursework, so students who need scheduling flexibility have more than one path to choose from.
What are the admissions requirements for communication master's programs in Idaho?: Most Idaho programs require a bachelor's degree (not necessarily in communication), a minimum GPA around 3.0, a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and a writing sample. Some programs ask for GRE scores, although waivers are increasingly common. Professional experience can strengthen an application, especially for organizational communication tracks.
What can you do with a master's in communication from an Idaho university?: Graduates pursue roles in public relations, corporate communication, higher education, media management, and nonprofit advocacy. The degree also prepares students for positions such as training and development specialist or marketing communications manager. BLS data shows that media and communication occupations nationally carry competitive median salaries, and Idaho's growing tech and healthcare sectors create additional demand for skilled communicators.
How long does it take to complete a master's in communication in Idaho?: Full-time students typically finish in two years (about 30 to 36 credit hours). Part-time and online learners often complete the degree in two and a half to three years. Some programs offer accelerated scheduling or allow transfer credits, which can shorten the timeline. Thesis and non-thesis tracks may also differ in total time to completion.