Strategic Communications Schools Near Kansas City, KS (2026)

Kansas City, Kansas has 4 accredited schools offering strategic communications programs, with tuition ranging from $10,611 to $28,568 per year for indexed programs. Kansas City has a population of about 154,776. Median household income is $59,183 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning strategic communications-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $139,240 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Strategic Communications Schools to Kansas City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer strategic communications programs near Kansas City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kansas City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score โ€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 99.0 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
67.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,262
Avg net price $19,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 62

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kansas Wesleyan University

Salina, KS 155.4 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
36.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,152
Avg net price $22,671/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 60%
  • Programs offered: 22

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Sterling College

Sterling, KS 197.0 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
31.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 41%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $45,846
Avg net price $22,371/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 55%
  • Programs offered: 21

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Kansas schools on the Kansas strategic communications page.


Strategic Communications Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kansas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Manager$131,190Kansas City, MO-KS$141,827
Public Relations Specialist$68,050Kansas City, MO-KS$73,568
Marketing Manager$139,240Kansas City, MO-KS$150,530

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Kansas City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population154,776Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$59,183Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+20.2%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Strategic Communications Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited strategic communications schools are near Kansas City, KS?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering strategic communications programs near Kansas City. The closest is Park University in Parkville, MO (5.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kansas State University (98.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying strategic communications roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying strategic communications-related roles near Kansas City are: Marketing Manager ($139,240), Public Relations Manager ($131,190), Public Relations Specialist ($68,050). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Shawnee instead of Kansas City?

Shawnee, KS is 8.2 miles from Kansas City and has its own set of local strategic communications programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Kansas City an affordable place to study strategic communications?

Kansas City’s median household income of $59,183 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Strategic Communications Programs

Other Programs Available in Kansas City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Kansas City:

Data verified: August 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024โ€“2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.