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Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

78 Colleges
$37,160 Avg Salary
$21,474 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You

With 66,787 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, communication and media studies is the #10 most popular major in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 78 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for communications majors pursuing a .

Top 15% Best Communication & Media Studies Schools

#1

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Santa Clara University the best school in the Far Western US Region for communication and media studies students. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at SCU take out is $18,250.

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Out of the 78 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Berkeley landed the # 2 spot on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the city of Berkeley.

Communications majors at UC Berkeley take out an average of $12,207 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $328, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, communications graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $17,750. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $516, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 78 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Barbara landed the # 4 spot on the list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

While working on their degree, communications majors at UCSB accumulate an average of around $13,921 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $322, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara Report

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Out of the 78 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

On average, communications graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out $14,857 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

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University of California - Davis came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Davis is a very large public school located in the suburb of Davis.

While working on their degree, communications majors at UC Davis accumulate an average of around $13,000 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $268, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#7

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

With a ranking of #7, Stanford University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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With a ranking of #8, University of Washington - Tacoma Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. UW Tacoma is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Tacoma.

Communications majors at UW Tacoma take out an average of $16,680 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $224.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Report

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#9

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

With a ranking of #9, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

While working on their degree, communications majors at Loyola Marymount accumulate an average of around $21,697 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $674.

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University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public school with a very large student population.

Communications majors at UW Seattle take out an average of $16,680 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $224.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of Washington - Seattle Campus Report

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
12 University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA
13 Westmont College Santa Barbara, CA
14 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
15 Seattle University Seattle, WA

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication and media studies colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 12,754
Washington 1,139
Oregon 416
Nevada 367
Hawaii 265
Alaska 11

One of 5 majors within the area of study, communication and media studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Public Relations & Advertising 21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 17,669
Journalism 13,552
Communication & Journalism (Other) 1,128
Publishing 336

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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