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2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region

71 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
14,317 Communications Degrees Awarded
$37,160 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #10 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 71 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 14,317 degrees in communication & media studies during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School

Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region The communications program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Communication & Media Studies rankings. For our Best Overall Communication & Media Studies School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Communication & Media Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Communications
Bachelor's Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

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

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the communications degree levels they offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Communications

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
585 Communications Degrees Awarded
3.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in communication & media studies. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 585 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those communication & media studies students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $17,779 more than the average communications graduate.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Southern California

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
258 Communications Degrees Awarded
$48,287 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & media studies. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 258 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies program at University of California - Berkeley make $11,127 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of California - Berkeley

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
293 Communications Degrees Awarded
$38,895 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Davis is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 293 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career earnings of $38,895.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of California - Davis

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
592 Communications Degrees Awarded
20.8% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & media studies. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 592 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & media studies major at University of California - Santa Barbara earn $3,894 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Communications Degrees Awarded
$53,040 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 137 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from Santa Clara University receive an earnings boost of about $15,880 above the average earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Santa Clara University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Communications Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 287 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program state that they receive average early career income of $34,173.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
318 Communications Degrees Awarded
$37,823 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were approximately 318 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career earnings of $37,823.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$52,848 Median Starting Salary

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 30 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from Stanford University earn a boost of around $15,688 over the typical earnings of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from Stanford University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
323 Communications Degrees Awarded
$42,620 Median Starting Salary

SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Francisco. This university ranks 35th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 323 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Media Studies degree recipients from San Francisco State University earn a boost of approximately $5,460 over the average income of communication & media studies majors.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from San Francisco State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
240 Communications Degrees Awarded
$35,346 Median Starting Salary

UNLV is a very large public university located in the city of Las Vegas. A Best Colleges rank of #149 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNLV is a great university overall.

There were roughly 240 communication & media studies students who graduated with this degree at UNLV in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the communications program report average early career income of $35,346.

More information about a degree in communication & media studies from University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Media Studies students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
11San Jose State UniversitySan Jose, CA
12University of San FranciscoSan Francisco, CA
13San Diego State UniversitySan Diego, CA
14Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA
15California State University - Long BeachLong Beach, CA
16Washington State UniversityPullman, WA
17Chapman UniversityOrange, CA

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges by State

Explore the best communication & media studies schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
California33012,751
Washington3001,137
Oregon266411
Nevada192367
Hawaii164265
Alaska11911

View All Rankings >

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

Communications Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Speech Communication11,290
Communications1,869
Communication & Media Studies847
Other Communication & Media Studies311

View All Communications Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication3,212
Journalism2,107
Public Relations & Advertising1,848
Communication & Journalism (Other)108
Publishing27

View All Communications Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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