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Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California

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2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California

20 Colleges
$37,861 Avg Salary
$20,384 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Communication & Media Studies School for You

In 2020-2021, 509 degrees and certificates were awarded to communication and media studies students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #50 most popular major in the state.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

The Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Grad Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 20 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

Check out the communications programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools

Our 2023 rankings named University of Southern California the best school in California for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern California

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA

Out of the 20 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. UCSB is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

#4

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of San Francisco. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Full Communication & Media Studies at University of San Francisco Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - San Diego is a great place for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego

#6

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA

Pepperdine University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full Communication & Media Studies at Pepperdine University Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#8

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

With a ranking of #8, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for communication and media studies students. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at San Diego State University

California State University - Sacramento landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sac State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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California State University - Long Beach landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best communication and media studies programs. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Long Beach

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

Explore all the Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 62
Oregon 27
Nevada 18
Hawaii 21
Alaska 4

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 2,828
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 2,562
Journalism 1,238
Communication & Journalism (Other) 341
Publishing 214

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 20 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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