by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
In 2021-2022, 116,994 people earned their degree in communication & journalism, making the major the 11th most popular in the United States. In , communication & journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in , earned an average of $34,306 and had an average of $24,240 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 17,619 communication & journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,856 and $22,106 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 981 communication & journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California” ranking, we looked at 29 colleges that offer a degree in communication & journalism. That schools that top this list have a program in communication & journalism in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. 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.
The following schools top our list of the Best “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California”.
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, International Technological University landed the #1 spot on the list.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at International Technological University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 487 degrees to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 96%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of Southern California
Out of the 29 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 6 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.6% 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%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 13 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% 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%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Academy of Art University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Baptist University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 23 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at California Baptist University
With a ranking of #6, Stanford University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. This fairly large school is located in Stanford, California, and it awarded 36 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% 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%.
University of San Francisco ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 28 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. 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%.
National University ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 33 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at National University
San Diego State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication & journalism degrees to 40 students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 90%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. California State University - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 19 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Cal State LA
University of California - Berkeley landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. UC Berkeley is a public institution located in Berkeley, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 53 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, 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%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at UC Berkeley
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 26 masters’s communication & journalism degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of the Pacific did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #13. Pacific is a private not-for-profit institution located in Stockton, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 15 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
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 the Pacific Communication & Journalism Report
California State University - San Bernardino came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 16 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - San Bernardino
Chapman University ranked #15 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Orange, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
San Jose State University ranked #16 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. San Jose State is located in San Jose, California and, has a large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 32 masters’s communication & journalism degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at San Jose State
San Francisco State University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. San Francisco, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication & journalism degrees to 14 students in 2021-2022.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking, coming in at #18. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s communication & journalism degrees to 32 students in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% 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 California State University - Fullerton Communication & Journalism Report
California State University - Fresno came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 7 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Fresno Communication & Journalism Report
University of California - Santa Cruz came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 7 masters’s communication & journalism degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at University of California - Santa Cruz
With a ranking of #21, Biola University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in La Mirada, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 3 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, 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 88%.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at Biola University
California State University - East Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is a public institution located in Hayward, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 9 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Communication & Journalism at Cal State East Bay
Pepperdine University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California ranking. Located in Malibu, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Long Beach ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school awarded 7 degrees to qualified masters’s communication & journalism students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about Communication & Journalism at California State University - Long Beach
With a ranking of #25, University of California - Santa Barbara did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Communication & Journalism Major in California list. UCSB is a large public school situated in Santa Barbara, California. It awarded 4 masters’s communication & journalism degrees in 2021-2022.
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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%.
Full University of California - Santa Barbara Communication & Journalism Report
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
