College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in California

16 Colleges in California
480 Master's Degrees
$48,950 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #44 most popular master's degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual looked at 16 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 480 master's degrees in communication & media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School for Your Master's Degree

Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in California Your choice of communication & media studies for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their master's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their master's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for communication & media studies students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communications Rankings Other Ranking Categories

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Communication & Media Studies Master's Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Communication & Media Studies in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in communication & media studies.

10 Top California Schools for a Master's in Communications

1

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those communication & media studies students who get their master's degree from University of Southern California make $14,549 more than the typical communications graduate.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of Southern California

2
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
23 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in communication & media studies needs to check out University of San Francisco. Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of San Francisco

2
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, CA

Stanford University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the large suburb of Stanford, Stanford is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Communication & Media Studies master's degree recipients from Stanford University receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,898 above the average earnings of communication & media studies graduates.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Stanford University

3
2 Annual Graduates

University of California - San Diego is a good decision for individuals interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of California - San Diego

4
34 Annual Graduates

San Diego State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in communication & media studies. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from San Diego State University

4
3 Annual Graduates

University of California - Santa Barbara is a great choice for individuals interested in a master's degree in communication & media studies. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

5
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from San Francisco State University

6

Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a very large student population.

After graduation, communications master's recipients typically earn around $48,660 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from San Jose State University

7
1 Annual Graduates

Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from Pepperdine University

7
10 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in communication & media studies from California State University - Long Beach

Best 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 Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 183 54
Oregon 158 9
Nevada 105 18
Hawaii 85 21
Alaska 52 4

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Other Communication & Media Studies 233
Speech Communication 210
Communications 30
Communication & Media Studies 7

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 152
Public Relations & Advertising 143
Journalism 45

Notes and References

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options