2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 68,079 communication and media studies students received their degree, making the major the 9th most popular in the country. In 2017-2018, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,728 and had an average of $24,931 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 13,425 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,239 and $21,690 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 27 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in communication and media studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great communication and media studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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 Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

#2 in overall quality

$55,011 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Stanford, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University

#2

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Santa Barbara. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Santa Barbara Communication & Media Studies Report

#3

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Davis. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 2 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, UC Davis has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#4

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,631 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. UCSD is located in La Jolla, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - San Diego Communication & Media Studies Report

#5

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. USC is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 14 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

USC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at USC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland.

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