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2025 Best Writing Studies Schools in California

15 Colleges in California
650 Writing Degrees Awarded
$34,966 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in writing studies is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #81 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 15 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for writing studies students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 650 degrees in writing studies annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Writing Studies School

Best Writing Studies Schools in California Your choice of writing studies school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for writing studies schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Writing Studies Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Writing
Master's Degrees in Writing
Doctor's Degrees in Writing

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Writing Studies Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Writing Studies in California

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the writing degree levels they offer.

10 Top California Schools in Writing

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Writing Degrees Awarded
$44,553 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in writing studies. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 56 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Those writing studies students who get their degree from University of California - Berkeley receive $9,587 more than the average writing student.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of California - Berkeley

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16th Most Popular In CA
31.3% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Irvine is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in writing studies. UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 16 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of California - Irvine

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Creative Writing & English Program Name

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More information about a degree in BA in Creative Writing & English from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Writing Degrees Awarded
$26,636 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in writing studies. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the writing program report average early career income of $26,636.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of Southern California

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
24th Most Popular In CA
69.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in writing studies needs to look into University of California - Davis. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were about 13 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of California - Davis

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Writing Degrees Awarded
23.7% Growth in Graduates

SDSU is a very large public university located in the city of San Diego. This university ranks 25th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 38 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the writing studies program at San Diego State University get $6,362 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in writing studies from San Diego State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$32,682 Median Starting Salary
$19,148 Median Student Debt

SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Francisco. This university ranks 30th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 27 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the writing program report average early career earnings of $32,682.

More information about a degree in writing studies from San Francisco State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Writing Degrees Awarded
$22,799 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 28th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 94 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the writing program state that they receive average early career income of $22,799.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of California - Riverside

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Bachelors Degree Type
BA English in Professional Writing Program Name

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More information about a degree in BA English in Professional Writing from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Writing Degrees Awarded
$20,726 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of San Bernardino, CSUSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 82nd out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 33 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at CSUSB in the most recent data year. After graduating, writing degree recipients typically make an average of $20,726 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in writing studies from California State University - San Bernardino

9
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$51,069 Median Starting Salary

USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.

There were about 26 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the writing studies program at University of San Francisco make $16,103 above the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in writing studies from University of San Francisco

10

Fresno State is a very large public university located in the large city of Fresno. This university ranks 81st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 15 writing studies students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the writing program earn an average of $23,133 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in writing studies from California State University - Fresno

Best Writing Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Writing Studies Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 300 380
Oregon 266 107
Nevada 192 48
Alaska 119 15

View All Rankings >

One of 9 majors within the English Language & Literature area of study, Writing Studies has other similar majors worth exploring.

Writing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Creative Writing 507
Rhetoric & Composition 61
General Writing 56
Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing 13
Other Rhetoric & Composition/Writing Studies 13

View All Writing Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General English Literature 6,594
English Literature (Other) 193
Literature 29

View All Writing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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