Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Communication & Media Studies

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

21 Ranked Colleges
549 Degrees Awarded
$23,900 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Communications Schools for a Master's in California For Those Getting Aid

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 California For Those Getting Aid” 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 California, there were 13,425 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,239 and $21,690 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 549 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 21 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.

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 Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to 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 Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 21 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California (With Aid)

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Los Angeles are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State LA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 38 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #10 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Cal State Fullerton

#3

Stanford University

Stanford, California

Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, Stanford University landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 28 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students with aid list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University

#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid. California State University - Fresno is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 9 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Fresno State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #18. 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 California State University - Fresno

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - Northridge is a large school located in Northridge, California that handed out 23 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUN not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Northridge are $17,955, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#6

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #6 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. SDSU is a large school located in San Diego, California that handed out 25 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’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 San Diego State University are $18,658.

Full San Diego State University Communication & Media Studies Report

California State University - Long Beach came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSULB are $17,784, but some majors have different tuition rates.

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

#6 in overall quality

University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #8. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 1 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - San Diego are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#21 in overall quality

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. California State University - San Bernardino is a public institution located in San Bernardino, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students with aid list, CSUSB has also earned the #21 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’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 California State University - San Bernardino are $17,936.

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

#10

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California
#3 in overall quality

University of California - Santa Barbara landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 2 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCSB Communication & Media Studies Report

#17 in overall quality

With a ranking of #11, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Sac State is a large school located in Sacramento, California that handed out 5 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Sac State, the school also landed the #17 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Sacramento are $18,356, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

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

#4 in overall quality

University of California - Davis landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’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 UC Davis are $28,700.

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

#13

San Jose State University

San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 17 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

San Jose State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’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 San Jose State University are $18,790.

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

#19 in overall quality

California State University - East Bay did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. California State University - East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 3 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal State East Bay, the school also landed the #19 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - East Bay are $17,828, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Cal State East Bay

#15

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #14 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full SFSU Communication & Media Studies Report

With a ranking of #16, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Chico State is located in Chico, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 5 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students with aid list, Chico State has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Chico are $18,802, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Chico State Communication & Media Studies Report

#17

National University

La Jolla, California

National University ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Located in La Jolla, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.

National University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #20 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’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 National University are $15,480.

Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at National University

#18

California Baptist University

Riverside, California

With a ranking of #18, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students with aid list, Cal Baptist has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California Baptist University are $14,140, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at California Baptist University

#19

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California landed the #19 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. 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 289 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

USC also took the #1 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at USC

#20

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
#5 in overall quality

With a ranking of #20, University of San Francisco did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 24 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USFCA are $26,710, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full USFCA Communication & Media Studies Report

#21

Pepperdine University

Malibu, California
#7 in overall quality

Pepperdine University came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Malibu, California. It awarded 1 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Pepperdine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pepperdine are $36,320, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Pepperdine University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

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

Featured Communications / Public Relations Schools

Find Schools Near You