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Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California

2023 Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California

106 Colleges
$23,317 Avg Salary
$13,029 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 106 schools in California to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Communication & Media Studies program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for communications majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Long Beach City College the most popular school in California for communication and media studies students working on their associate degree. Long Beach City College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.

About 62% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 38% are male.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Long Beach City College Report

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#2

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Santa Monica College is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their associate degree. SMC is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.

About 66% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 34% are male.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Santa Monica College Report

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#3

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Santa Barbara City College is a great place for communication and media studies students working on their associate degree. SBCC is a large public school located in the city of Santa Barbara.

Of the 156 students majoring in communications at SBCC, 35% are male and 65% are female.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Santa Barbara City College Report

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#4

Orange Coast College

Costa Mesa, CA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Orange Coast College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular communication and media studies schools in California. Orange Coast College is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa.

Women make up 62% of the communications majors at the school.

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#5

Chaffey College

Rancho Cucamonga, CA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Chaffey College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular communication and media studies schools in California. Chaffey College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Rancho Cucamonga.

Women make up 67% of the communications majors at the school.

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#6

Pasadena City College

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Pasadena City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pasadena.

About 62% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 38% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, communications graduates from Pasadena City College carry an average student debt load of $13,844.

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Mt. San Antonio College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a very large student population.

Women make up 59% of the communications majors at the school.

Communications majors at Mt. SAC take out an average of $9,222 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Mt. San Antonio College

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#8

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA

Saddleback College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree communication and media studies programs. Saddleback College is a large public school located in the suburb of Mission Viejo.

About 62% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 38% are male.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Saddleback College Report

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#9

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 119 students majoring in communications at Bakersfield College, 41% are male and 59% are female.

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#10

Fullerton College

Fullerton, CA

Fullerton College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Fullerton College is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 102 students majoring in communications at Fullerton College, 29% are male and 71% are female.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Fullerton College Report

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#11

Diablo Valley College

Pleasant Hill, CA

Diablo Valley College ranked #11 on this year’s Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Pleasant Hill, Diablo Valley is a public college with a large student population.

About 57% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 43% are male.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Diablo Valley College

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#11

El Camino College

Torrance, CA

El Camino College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree communication and media studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Torrance, El Camino College is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 62% of the communications majors at the school.

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#13

De Anza College

Cupertino, CA

De Anza College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the small city of Cupertino, De Anza College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 93 students majoring in communications at De Anza College, 34% are male and 66% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, communications graduates from De Anza College carry an average student debt load of $14,201.

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#14

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA

With a ranking of #14, Foothill College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for communication and media studies students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Los Altos Hills, Foothill College is a public college with a large student population.

About 56% of the students majoring in communications at the school are women while 44% are male.

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#15

College of the Canyons

Santa Clarita, CA

College of the Canyons did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for communication and media studies students to get a associate degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the suburb of Santa Clarita, College of the Canyons is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 71% of the communications majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that communications majors at College of the Canyons take out while working on their Associate Degree is $9,750.

Full Communication & Media Studies at College of the Canyons Report

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
16 MiraCosta College Oceanside, CA
17 Sierra College Rocklin, CA
18 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
19 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA
20 San Diego Mesa College San Diego, CA
21 Sacramento City College Sacramento, CA

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

Explore all the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Colleges 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

Communication & Media Studies is one of 5 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

  • 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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