2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California
Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, communication and media studies was ranked 10th in California. In fact, 12,754 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 51 schools in California to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the best for communications majors pursuing a .
Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools
Our analysis found Santa Clara University to be the best school for communication and media studies students who want to pursue a degree in California. SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Santa Clara.
After completing their degree, communications graduates from SCU carry an average student debtload of $18,250.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Santa Clara University Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, communications graduates from UC Berkeley take out $12,207 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $328.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
While working on their degree, communications majors at USC accumulate an average of around $17,750 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $516, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means University of California - Santa Barbara is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at UCSB take out an average of $13,921 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $322.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara Report
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that communications majors at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo take out is $14,857.
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University of California - Davis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Communications majors at UC Davis take out an average of $13,000 in student loans while working on their egree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $268, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Full Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Davis Report
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Stanford University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for communication and media studies students. It came in at #7 on the list. Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Stanford.
Full Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University Report
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Loyola Marymount University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Communications majors at Loyola Marymount take out an average of $21,697 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $674.
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Westmont College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Westmont is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.
On average, communications graduates from Westmont take out $24,978 in student loans while working on their degree.
Request InformationBest Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 1,139 |
| Oregon | 416 |
| Nevada | 367 |
| Hawaii | 265 |
| Alaska | 11 |
More Communication & Media Studies Rankings in California
Communication & Media Studies Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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