2023 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California
Finding the Best Communication & Journalism School for You
Communication & Journalism is the #12 most popular major in California with 17,589 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
The Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 54 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Communication & Journalism Colleges.
Top 10 Best Communication & Journalism Schools
Our analysis found Santa Clara University to be the best school for communication and journalism students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that communication and journalism majors at SCU take out is $18,250.
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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 & Journalism Schools in California list. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public school located in the city of Berkeley.
While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at UC Berkeley accumulate an average of around $12,207 in student debt. 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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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Santa Barbara is a great place for communication and journalism students. UCSB is a very large public school located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.
Communication & Journalism 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.
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The excellent programs at University of Southern California helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best communication and journalism schools in California. 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, communication and journalism graduates from USC carry an average student debtload of $18,543. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $505, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Out of the 54 schools in California 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 suburb of San Luis Obispo.
After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo carry an average student debtload of $16,719. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $310.
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University of California - Davis landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and journalism programs. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
On average, communication and journalism graduates from UC Davis take out $13,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $268, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Stanford University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and journalism programs. Located in the suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
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Pepperdine University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and journalism programs. Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at Pepperdine accumulate an average of around $23,688 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $511, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #9, Loyola Marymount University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
After completing their degree, communication and journalism graduates from Loyola Marymount carry an average student debtload of $21,697. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $674.
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With a ranking of #10, University of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and journalism students. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, communication and journalism majors at USFCA accumulate an average of around $24,370 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $552.
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Request InformationBest Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 2,086 |
| Oregon | 1,375 |
| Hawaii | 292 |
| Nevada | 523 |
| Alaska | 30 |
More Communication & Journalism Rankings in California
Related Programs
Learn about other programs related to Communication & Journalism that might interest you.
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Communication & Journalism Related Rankings by Major
Communication & Journalism Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Communication & Media Studies | 66,787 |
| Public Relations & Advertising | 21,099 |
| Radio, Television & Digital Communication | 17,669 |
| Journalism | 13,552 |
| Communication & Journalism (Other) | 1,128 |
| Publishing | 336 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Education | 327,871 |
| Social Sciences | 205,984 |
| Psychology | 195,678 |
| Family, Consumer & Human Sciences | 55,820 |
| History | 32,731 |
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 Josh Hallett.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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