2022 Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2019-2020, 121,387 people earned their degree in communication and journalism, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, communication and journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $32,549 and had an average of $24,893 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 18,646 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $34,210 and $21,875 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 33 communication and journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in communication and journalism. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality communication and journalism programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the communication and journalism program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) 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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Stanford, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford are $55,011, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Stanford

#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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 9 doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Communication & Journalism 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 University of California - Santa Barbara are $28,670.

Full UCSB Communication & Journalism Report

#3

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Davis, California, this large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s communication and journalism students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UC Davis, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UC Davis

#4

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,631 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - San Diego. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSD also took the #4 spot in our “Best Communication & Journalism Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UCSD

#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 Communication & Journalism Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Making $30-$48k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Southern California landed the #5 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 14 doctorate’s communication and journalism degrees in 2019-2020.

USC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Communication & Journalism 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 USC are $48,715.

Full USC Communication & Journalism Report

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Communication & Journalism (Income $30-$48k)

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 Josh Hallett.

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