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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

31 Ranked Colleges
671 Degrees Awarded
$24,800 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 68,079 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, communication and media studies is the 9th most popular major in the United States. 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 the Far Western US region, there were 15,759 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,204 and $21,798 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 671 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,319 and $48,880 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 31 colleges that offered a degree in communication and media studies. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent communication and media studies programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for far western us region master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Stanford University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stanford, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 28 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Stanford Communication & Media Studies Report

#4 in overall quality

Out of the 31 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UW Seattle, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Washington - Seattle Campus are $30,294.

Full University of Washington - Seattle Campus Communication & Media Studies Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 16 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Los Angeles

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 38 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #10 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Cal State Fullerton Communication & Media Studies Report

#5

Washington State University

Pullman, Washington

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Washington State University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Washington State University is a public institution located in Pullman, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 58 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Wazzu did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Washington State University are $27,561, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Washington State University

#23 in overall quality

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 9 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Fresno State also took the #23 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Fresno are $17,581.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Fresno State

#7

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #7. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 25 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SDSU are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#8

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #8, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - Northridge is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 23 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN also took the #15 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at CSUN

With a ranking of #10, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 1 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Davis

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. UCSD is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 1 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #0 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UCSD

California State University - Long Beach ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 4 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784.

Full California State University - Long Beach Communication & Media Studies Report

#13

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 289 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our far western us region master’s degree communications students whose families make $0-$30k list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Southern California

University of Nevada - Las Vegas did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #14. University of Nevada - Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 10 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UNLV also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #12. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNLV are $21,962.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UNLV

#15

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in San Bernardino, California, this fairly large public school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUSB are $17,936, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at CSUSB

#16

Eastern Washington University

Cheney, Washington

Eastern Washington University landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. EWU is a public institution located in Cheney, Washington. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

EWU also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #21. Average graduate tuition and fees at Eastern Washington University are $28,921, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Eastern Washington University

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Sacramento, California, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list, coming in at #22. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sac State are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Sac State Communication & Media Studies Report

#11 in overall quality

With a ranking of #18, University of Nevada - Reno did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. University of Nevada - Reno is a large school located in Reno, Nevada that handed out 7 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UNR did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNR are $21,971.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UNR

#19

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #19. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Jose State are $18,790, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at San Jose State

#20

University of Hawaii at Manoa

Honolulu, Hawaii
#18 in overall quality

University of Hawaii at Manoa landed the #20 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. UH Manoa is located in Honolulu, Hawaii and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

UH Manoa not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Hawaii at Manoa are $34,550, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of Hawaii at Manoa

#21

University of Alaska Fairbanks

Fairbanks, Alaska

University of Alaska Fairbanks ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, this medium-sized public school awarded 2 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Alaska Fairbanks are $24,287.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at University of Alaska Fairbanks

#24 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school handed out 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Cal State East Bay also took the #24 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State East Bay are $17,828, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full California State University - East Bay Communication & Media Studies Report

#23

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 8 students in 2019-2020.

SFSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

California State University - Chico came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Chico State also took the #19 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Chico are $18,802, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Chico

#25

Portland State University

Portland, Oregon

Portland State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in the Far Western US Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #25. Portland State University is a large school located in Portland, Oregon that handed out 7 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Portland State University are $23,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Portland State University Communication & Media Studies Report

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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.

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