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2023 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

6 Ranked Colleges
33 Degrees Awarded
$41,300 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

With 62,855 degrees handed out in 2021-2022, communication & media studies is the 10th most popular major in the United States. In , communication & media studies graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,194 and had an average of $23,803 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 12,384 communication & media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,861 and $21,248 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 33 communication & media studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $76,943 and $148,774 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California” ranking analyzed 6 colleges that offered a degree in communication & media studies. That schools that top this list have a program in communication & media studies in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California” list to help you make the college decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. 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.

Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California

The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California”.

Top 6 Most Focused Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

1
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s communications students in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Full USC Communication & Media Studies Report

2

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #2 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large school located in Santa Barbara, California that handed out 8 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 University of California - Santa Barbara Communication & Media Studies Report

3
Stanford crest
Stanford University
Stanford, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanford University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Stanford

4

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Diego. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UCSD

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 293 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at UC Davis

5
Chapman crest
Chapman University
Orange, California

Out of the 6 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Communications Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Chapman University landed the #5 spot on the list. This fairly large school is located in Orange, California, and it awarded 3 doctorate’s communications degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, 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 92%.

Read more about Communication & Media Studies at Chapman

Notes and References

References

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