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2024 Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California

48 Colleges in California
17,619 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,856 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Journalism is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #11 most popular degree program in the country. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 48 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for communication & journalism students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 17,619 degrees in communication & journalism to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Journalism School

Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California Your choice of communication & journalism school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Communication & Journalism School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Communication & Journalism Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Bachelor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Master's Degrees in Communication & Journalism
Doctor's Degrees in Communication & Journalism

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Communication & Journalism Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Communication & Journalism in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the communication & journalism degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
999 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
9.1% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in communication & journalism. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were about 999 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism degree program at University of Southern California get $12,755 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
311 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
1.0% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Berkeley if you wish to pursue a degree in communication & journalism. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were roughly 311 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at University of California - Berkeley get $7,966 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
301 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$38,895 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in communication & journalism needs to take a look at University of California - Davis. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 301 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from University of California - Davis receive $3,039 more than the typical communication & journalism student.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Davis

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
601 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
20.6% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Santa Barbara if you want to pursue a degree in communication & journalism. Located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were about 601 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Communication & Journalism degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of approximately $5,198 over the average income of communication & journalism graduates.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - Santa Barbara

5
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$53,040 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Santa Clara, SCU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #50 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 137 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at SCU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at Santa Clara University get $17,184 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Santa Clara University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
287 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
5.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 287 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the communication & journalism program earn about $34,173 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of California - San Diego

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$35,979 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #94 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 156 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent data year. After graduation, communication & journalism degree recipients generally make about $35,979 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Pepperdine University

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Stanford is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Stanford. A Best Colleges rank of #3 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Stanford is a great university overall.

There were about 66 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at Stanford in the most recent data year. Those communication & journalism students who get their degree from Stanford University make $16,992 more than the average communication & journalism student.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from Stanford University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
542 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$37,864 Median Starting Salary

SFSU is a very large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. This university ranks 35th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 542 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism program at San Francisco State University get $2,008 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from San Francisco State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Communication & Journalism Degrees Awarded
$43,855 Median Starting Salary

USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco. This university ranks 24th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 127 communication & journalism students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the communication & journalism major at University of San Francisco get $7,999 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in communication & journalism from University of San Francisco

Best Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington372,079
Oregon371,366
Hawaii36292
Nevada35523
Alaska3330

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies12,384
Radio, Television & Digital Communication2,731
Journalism1,546
Public Relations & Advertising922
Communication & Journalism (Other)35
Publishing1

View All Communication & Journalism Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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