2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k” ranking.

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 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 $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer 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.

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) 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 $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #1 spot on the list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k 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.

Full Stanford University Communication & Media Studies Report

#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 $30-$48k list. UCSB is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 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. 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 full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - Santa Barbara

#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 $30-$48k 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UC 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 $30-$48k list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree communications students whose families make $30-$48k list, UCSD has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at UCSD

#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 $30-$48k list. University of Southern California is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at USC

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $30-$48k)

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.

Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >