2024 Best Journalism Schools in California
23
Colleges in California
1,640
Journalism Degrees Awarded
$33,623
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.
College Factual reviewed 23 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of journalism. Combined, these schools handed out 1,640 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 who is interested in journalism has to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were about 115 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 $7,452 more than the standard journalism grad.
More information about a degree in journalism from University of Southern California
San Diego State University is a great option for students interested in a degree in journalism. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were about 170 journalism students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, journalism degree recipients usually make about $33,791 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in journalism from San Diego State University
Loyola Marymount University is one of the best 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 #135 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
There were approximately 29 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
Any student pursuing a degree in journalism has to check out University of California - Irvine. Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 32 journalism students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program make around $28,207 in their early career salary.
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 suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #95 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were roughly 80 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available. Those journalism students who get their degree from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo make $6,246 more than the standard journalism grad.
More information about a degree in journalism from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 109 journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the journalism program state that they receive average early career income of $29,760.
More information about a degree in journalism from California State University - Long Beach
Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were approximately 31 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the journalism program at Chapman University get $3,156 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in journalism from Chapman University
Chico State is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Chico. This university ranks 79th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 49 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Chico State in the most recent year we have data available. Journalism degree recipients from California State University - Chico get an earnings boost of about $4,204 over the typical earnings of journalism graduates.
More information about a degree in journalism from California State University - Chico
Pepperdine is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Malibu. A Best Colleges rank of #94 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 9 journalism students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the journalism program make an average of $31,797 for their early career.
More information about a degree in journalism from Pepperdine University
CSUN is a very large public university located in the large city of Northridge. This university ranks 49th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 161 journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, journalism degree recipients usually earn around $27,428 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in journalism from California State University - Northridge