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2023 Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

20 Ranked Colleges
480 Degrees Awarded
$48,950 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master's

When it comes to choosing a college, veterans have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

With 66,787 degrees handed out in 2020-2021, communication and media studies is the 10th most popular major in the United States. In 2019-2020, communication and media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $34,115 and had an average of $25,414 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 13,181 communication and media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,861 and $20,384 respectively.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s” ranking analyzed 20 colleges that offered 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 a strong support system for veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the communication and media studies program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Media Studies Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. 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.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree vets studying communications.

Top 20 Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 211 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, USC has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 46,287 students enrolled at USC, 1,311 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 862 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,487. In addition to receiving other benefits, 388 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Southern California Veteran Student Life Report

2
SDSU crest
San Diego State University
San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend San Diego State University. The school came in at #2 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s. San Diego State University is a large public school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 34 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, SDSU supports 36,334 students, and 1,433 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 853 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,806. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full SDSU Veteran Student Life Report

3

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #3 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s. This large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 2 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, UCSD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, University of California - San Diego supports 39,576 students, and 112 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 54 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $1,596. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%.

Full University of California - San Diego Veteran Student Life Report

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Long Beach. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 10 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at CSULB, the school also landed the #9 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 40,069 students enrolled at CSULB, 822 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 310 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,845. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. CSULB does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of San Francisco. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. University of San Francisco is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 23 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

USFCA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,232. On top of their other funding sources, 2 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. University of San Francisco offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of San Francisco]](/colleges/university-of-san-francisco/student-life/veterans/)

6
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

With a ranking of #6, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Stanford is located in Stanford, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 35 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, Stanford has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 188 of the 15,953 students enrolled at Stanford University were GI Bill® students, of which 118 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,909. During this same period, 61 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Stanford]](/colleges/stanford-university/student-life/veterans/)

7

University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #7. Santa Barbara, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 3 students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, UCSB has also earned the #4 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 26,179 students enrolled at UCSB, 286 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 128 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $9,510. During this same period, 3 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.

Read More…

8
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 21 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

San Jose State also took the #8 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Jose State University supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $4,909. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. San Jose State University offers credit for military training for eligible students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at San Jose State]](/colleges/san-jose-state-university/student-life/veterans/)

9
SFSU crest
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

With a ranking of #9, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, SFSU supports 27,349 students, and 950 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 536 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,581. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full San Francisco State University Veteran Student Life Report

10

California State University - Northridge landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. This large school is located in Northridge, California, and it awarded 31 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, CSUN has also earned the #12 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 680 of the 40,381 students enrolled at CSUN were GI Bill® students, of which 336 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,745. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at CSUN]](/colleges/california-state-university-northridge/student-life/veterans/)

11

California State University - Sacramento ranked #11 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Sac State is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Sac State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 32,293 students enrolled at California State University - Sacramento, 34 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,555. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

12
National University crest
National University
La Jolla, California

National University did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking, coming in at #12. National University is a private not-for-profit institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 23 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

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.According to our most recent data, National University supports 18,070 students, and 1 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 0 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. National University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

13

With a ranking of #13, California State University - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 21 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our california master’s degree vets studying communications list, Cal State LA has also earned the #14 rank in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 26,745 students enrolled at California State University - Los Angeles, 3 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 1 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $2,700. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Los Angeles does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Los Angeles]](/colleges/california-state-university-los-angeles/student-life/veterans/)

14

With a ranking of #14, California State University - Chico did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Chico, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

Chico State also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #16.Our most recent data shows that 354 of the 16,746 students enrolled at Chico State were GI Bill® students, of which 166 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $5,098. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Chico]](/colleges/california-state-university-chico/student-life/veterans/)

15

California State University - Fullerton ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school awarded 23 diplomas to qualified masters’s communications students in 2020-2021.

Cal State Fullerton also took the #11 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 42,051 students enrolled at California State University - Fullerton, 748 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State Fullerton]](/colleges/california-state-university-fullerton/student-life/veterans/)

16
Cal Baptist crest
California Baptist University
Riverside, California

California Baptist University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. California Baptist University is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1 masters’s communications degrees to qualified students.

Cal Baptist did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 11,317 students enrolled at Cal Baptist, 532 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 390 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $15,716. In addition to receiving other benefits, 162 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Cal Baptist Veteran Student Life Report

17

California State University - Fresno came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. California State University - Fresno is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 10 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #15 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Of the 25,497 students enrolled at California State University - Fresno, 471 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $3,324. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. California State University - Fresno does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at California State University - Fresno]](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno/student-life/veterans/)

18

California State University - San Bernardino came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. California State University - San Bernardino is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 10 masters’s communications degrees in 2020-2021.

CSUSB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list.Among the 19,689 students enrolled at California State University - San Bernardino, 400 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 170 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,274. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read More…

19

California State University - East Bay ranked #19 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s list. California State University - East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 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.According to our most recent data, California State University - East Bay supports 16,253 students, and 32 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 16 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $7,956. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

20
Pepperdine crest
Pepperdine University
Malibu, California

Pepperdine University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Communications for a Master’s ranking. Malibu, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s communications degrees to 1 students in 2020-2021.

Pepperdine also took the #7 spot in our “Best Communication & Media Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, Pepperdine supports 9,554 students, and 458 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 288 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $19,329. On top of their other funding sources, 180 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%.

Full Pepperdine University Veteran Student Life Report

Notes and References

References

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