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2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California

67 Colleges in California
7,560 Bachelor's Degrees
$33,640 Avg Early-Career Salary
Communication & Media Studies is of the hottest bachelor's degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #6 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2022, College Factual analyzed 67 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 7,560 bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

Choosing a Great Communication & Media Studies School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California Your choice of school for getting your bachelor's degree in communications matters. We created our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California ranking to make it a little easier to choose the right one for you.

Being popular does not always equate to overall quality, but a school with a large number of communication and media studies students usually has them for a reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Associate Degrees in Communications
Master's Degrees in Communications
Doctor's Degrees in Communications
Overall Popularity in Communications

This ranking is just one of the many we have created. First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above. Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location. Plus, you can view our other rankings for communication and media studies.

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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Most Well Attended Schools for Communications Students Working on Their Bachelor's

1
730 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#17 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies needs to check out California State University - Fullerton. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton.

There were approximately 730 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduating, communications bachelor's recipients usually earn around $34,200 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from California State University - Fullerton

2
531 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#22 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies has to check out California State University - Sacramento. Sac State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Sacramento.

There were roughly 531 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at Sac State in the most recent year we have data available.

Soon after graduation, communications bachelor's recipients generally make an average of $34,400 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from California State University - Sacramento

3
517 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#5 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

University of California - Santa Barbara is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in California.

There were roughly 517 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from University of California - Santa Barbara earn a boost of about $2,660 over the average earnings of communication and media studies majors.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of California - Santa Barbara

4
406 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#16 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

San Francisco State University is one of the most popular schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in communication and media studies. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were approximately 406 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.

Communication & Media Studies bachelor's degree recipients from San Francisco State University receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,660 above the typical earnings of communication and media studies graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from San Francisco State University

5
369 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#26 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the city of Northridge.

There were approximately 369 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the communications program report average early career income of $32,200.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from California State University - Northridge

6
365 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#18 Best Quality In CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were about 365 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the communications program earn about $32,400 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from California State University - Long Beach

7
323 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#6 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in California.

There were about 323 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Davis make $4,260 more than the average communications graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of California - Davis

8
314 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Best Quality In CA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in California.

There were roughly 314 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.

Bachelor's recipients from the communication and media studies degree program at University of Southern California make $5,560 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of Southern California

9
284 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Best Quality In CA
$43,800 Median Salary

Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in communication and media studies in California.

There were approximately 284 communication and media studies individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.

Those communication and media studies students who get their bachelor's degree from University of California - Berkeley earn $10,160 more than the typical communications grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from University of California - Berkeley

10
278 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#24 Best Quality In CA
$33,300 Median Salary

Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were roughly 278 communication and media studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent year we have data available.

After graduation, communications bachelor's recipients usually earn around $33,300 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in communication and media studies from California State University - San Marcos

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Communication & Media Studies students in California that almost earned our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Communication & Media Studies in California award.

Rank College Location
11 San Jose State University San Jose, CA
12 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
13 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
14 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
15 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
16 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA

Best Communication & Media Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Communication & Media Studies Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 229 1,194
Oregon 178 440
Nevada 117 259
Hawaii 115 241
Alaska 79 8

View All Rankings >

One of 5 majors within the Communication & Journalism area of study, Communication & Media Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Communications Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Speech Communication 5,762
Communications 1,325
Communication & Media Studies 445
Other Communication & Media Studies 28

Related Major Annual Graduates
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 1,256
Journalism 1,071
Public Relations & Advertising 680
Communication & Journalism (Other) 57
Publishing 8

Notes and References

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