2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California
It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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 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.
For this year’s “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California” ranking, we looked at 21 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.
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.
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More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools
The communications school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California”.
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. 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 California
The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree communications students.
Top 21 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California. UCSB is located in Santa Barbara, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 2 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSB, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Northridge. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. California State University - Northridge is a public institution located in Northridge, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUN also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #13. Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full California State University - Northridge Communication & Media Studies Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Diego State University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. Located in San Diego, California, this large public school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SDSU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fullerton landed the #4 spot on the list. California State University - Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 38 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #10 rank 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.
Full California State University - Fullerton Communication & Media Studies Report
Out of the 21 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #5 spot on the list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 1 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 some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at University of California - San Diego
California State University - Fresno ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. 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 did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #18 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 California State University - Fresno are $17,581.
Full California State University - Fresno Communication & Media Studies Report
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #7. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 17 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
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.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #8. 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.
In addition to being on our california master’s degree communications students list, CSULB has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Full California State University - Long Beach Communication & Media Studies Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #9. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 1 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis also took the #4 spot 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 University of California - Davis are $28,700.
California Baptist University landed the #10 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 13 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Cal Baptist, the school also landed the #11 spot 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 Baptist University are $14,140.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California Baptist University
San Francisco State University came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. San Francisco State University is a large public school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 8 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
SFSU also took the #14 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SFSU are $17,944, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Chico ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. This fairly large school is located in Chico, California, and it awarded 5 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
Chico State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 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 California State University - Chico are $18,802.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. Cal State LA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal State LA also took the #12 spot 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 - Los Angeles are $17,723.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at California State University - Los Angeles
California State University - San Bernardino landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in San Bernardino, California, and it awarded 8 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
CSUSB also took the #21 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - San Bernardino are $17,936, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
California State University - Sacramento ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 5 students in 2019-2020.
Sac State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #17 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Sac State are $18,356, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read full report on Communication & Media Studies at Sac State
California State University - East Bay ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.
Cal State East Bay did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State 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
National University landed the #17 spot on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. This fairly large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 26 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at National University, the school also landed the #20 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at National University are $15,480, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full National University Communication & Media Studies Report
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking, coming in at #18. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 24 degrees to qualified masters’s communications students in 2019-2020.
USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of San Francisco are $26,710, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #19, Pepperdine University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. 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 also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Pepperdine are $36,320, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Southern California came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 289 masters’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.
USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Stanford University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Communications Schools for a Master’s in California list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 28 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot 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 you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University
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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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