2025 Best Journalism Schools in California
20
Colleges in California
1,546
Journalism Degrees Awarded
$36,123
Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in
journalism, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #69 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 20 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Journalism Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,546 degrees in journalism to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Journalism School
The journalism program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Journalism rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
Pick Your Journalism Degree Level
The journalism school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Journalism Schools in California.
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 Journalism in California
If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the journalism degrees they offer, see the list below.
10 Top California Schools in Journalism
Every student pursuing a degree in journalism has to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 180 journalism students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $10,532 more than the average journalism student.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
15th
Most Popular In CA
33
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Loyola Marymount University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in journalism. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #222 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
There were about 33 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in journalism from Loyola Marymount University
It's difficult to beat California State University - Long Beach if you want to pursue a degree in journalism. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were about 85 journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, journalism degree recipients usually earn around $28,844 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in journalism from California State University - Long Beach
San Diego State University is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in journalism. Located in the large city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 145 journalism students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program earn about $30,269 for their early career.
More information about a degree in journalism from San Diego State University
Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were approximately 25 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from Chapman University earn $5,522 more than the typical journalism student.
More information about a degree in journalism from Chapman University
CSUN is a very large public university located in the city of Northridge. This university ranks 48th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 133 journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program report average early career earnings of $30,564.
More information about a degree in journalism from California State University - Northridge
Pepperdine is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.
There were about 10 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the journalism program at Pepperdine University make $6,413 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in journalism from Pepperdine University
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were approximately 26 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. After graduation, journalism degree recipients usually earn around $31,102 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of California - Irvine
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public university located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were roughly 58 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent data year. Journalism degree recipients from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo get an earnings boost of around $12,514 above the typical income of journalism graduates.
More information about a degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 42 journalism students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, journalism degree recipients usually earn an average of $31,788 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in journalism from San Francisco State University
