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2025 Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

41 Colleges in California
9,569 Bachelor's Degrees
$36,565 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in communication & journalism, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #8 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 41 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for communication & journalism students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,569 bachelor's degrees in communication & journalism during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of communication & journalism for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality communication & journalism program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for communication & journalism students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Communication & Journalism Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Communication & Journalism Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The communication & 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 Communication & Journalism Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Communication & Journalism in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Communication & Journalism

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
446 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
620 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism has to take a look at University of California - Santa Barbara. UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of California - Santa Barbara

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
288 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism needs to check out University of California - Davis. UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of California - Davis

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
265 Annual Graduates

University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in communication & journalism. Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of California - Berkeley

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
244 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from University of California - San Diego

6
SCU crest
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, CA
140 Annual Graduates

SCU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Santa Clara.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Santa Clara University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
390 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from San Francisco State University

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Annual Graduates

Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Pepperdine University

9
148 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Loyola Marymount University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
182 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in communication & journalism from Chapman University

Best Communication & Journalism Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Communication & Journalism Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 34 1,839
Hawaii 30 266
Oregon 30 1,243
Nevada 30 442
Alaska 29 26

View All Rankings >

Communication & Journalism Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Communication & Media Studies 6,757
Radio, Television & Digital Communication 1,203
Journalism 973
Public Relations & Advertising 618
Communication & Journalism (Other) 18

Majors Similar to Communication & Journalism

Related Major Annual Graduates
Social Sciences 24,911
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities 5,142
English Language & Literature 3,998
History 2,905
Foreign Languages & Linguistics 2,437
Family, Consumer & Human Sciences 2,419
Area, Ethnic, Culture, & Gender Studies 2,106
Philosophy & Religious Studies 1,411
Theology & Religious Vocations 412

Notes and References

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