2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) 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 Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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 $48-$75k” 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k” list, to help you choose the best school for 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. 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 Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in California

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

#2 in overall quality

$55,011 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k list. Stanford is a fairly large school located in Stanford, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

Stanford not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 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 Stanford University are $55,011.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stanford University

#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 $48-$75k list. Located in Santa Barbara, California, this large public school awarded 3 degrees to qualified doctorate’s communications students in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #3 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 University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UCSB

#3

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k. University of California - Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’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 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 UC Davis are $28,700.

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

#4

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,631 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #4 spot on the list. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 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 UCSD are $28,631.

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

#5

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communications Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $48-$75k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s communications degrees to 14 students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

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

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies (Income $48-$75k)

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.

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