Communications · California
California colleges that awarded Communications credentials
23 colleges in California reported conferring Communications credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2024-25, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 21 awarded a degree, and 2 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting. Graduates of the typical California bachelor's program in Communications earned a median $61,136 four years after graduating, 8% above the $56,359 national median for the same credential (36 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
Quick answers
- How much do Communications graduates of California bachelor's programs earn?
- Graduates of the typical California bachelor's program in Communications earned a median $61,136 four years after graduating, 8% above the $56,359 national median for the same credential (36 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- How much do Communications graduates of California associate's programs earn?
- Graduates of the typical California associate's program in Communications earned a median $51,839 four years after graduating, 20% above the $43,243 national median for the same credential (8 programs, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
- Which Communications programs in California have the highest graduate earnings?
- Among 36 California bachelor's programs in Communications, Santa Clara University graduates had the highest median, $84,206 four years after graduating (College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23).
Colleges and what they awarded
Largest first by credentials conferred in 2024-25. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.
Which Communications programs in California have the highest graduate earnings?
Among 36 California bachelor's programs in Communications with federal earnings data, Santa Clara University graduates earn the highest median, $84,206 four years after graduating, with a median federal debt of $17,832. University of Southern California follows at $75,864. The national median for bachelor's graduates in the same program is $56,359. (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard.)
Compare these programs and share the results
Bachelor's programs · 36 with earnings data · national median $56,359
| College | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | 1 yr after (later class) | Debt borrowed at this college (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara University | $84,206 | $51,720 | $17,832 |
| University of Southern California | $75,864 | $47,651 | $15,875 |
| University of California, Berkeley | $75,612 | $43,696 | $11,100 |
| California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | $75,223 | $62,183 | $14,857 |
| Chapman University | $73,461 | $44,601 | $18,777 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara | $72,976 | $46,598 | $13,000 |
| University of California-Davis | $72,778 | $42,569 | $13,000 |
| Loyola Marymount University | $69,144 | $41,113 | $17,750 |
| University of San Diego | $68,913 | $40,776 | $24,000 |
| Sonoma State University | $68,833 | $32,952 | $17,877 |
The 10 highest of 36. Every program is on its college's profile and in the CSV download.
Associate's programs · 8 with earnings data · national median $43,243
| College | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | 1 yr after (later class) | Debt borrowed at this college (median) |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Valley College | $65,280 | — | — |
| College of San Mateo | $65,120 | — | — |
| San Diego Mesa College | $56,321 | — | — |
| De Anza College | $53,738 | — | — |
| College of the Canyons | $49,940 | — | — |
| Pasadena City College | $45,235 | — | — |
| Mt San Antonio College | $44,550 | — | — |
| Riverside City College | $44,269 | — | — |
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Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Communication and Media Studies. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. The one-year column is a later class (graduates of 2018-19 and 2019-20, measured in 2020 and 2021, in 2022 dollars), so it is not the same graduates' pay a few years earlier. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates live as well as the program itself. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major.
How much of this field is in California
- Credentials awarded
- 1,888
- Share of U.S. total
- 16%
- Colleges awarding it
- 23
- Awarding a degree
- 21
California colleges conferred 1,888 Communications credentials in 2024-25, which is 16% of the 11,837 conferred across the 48 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 23 colleges here, 21 awarded a degree and 2 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.
What level those credentials were
- Certificates: 4%, 71 credentials.
- Associate: <1%, 15 credentials.
- Bachelor's: 93%, 1,761 credentials.
- Graduate: 2%, 41 credentials.
Most Communications credentials awarded in California were bachelor's degrees. That is 11 percentage points more weighted toward bachelor's degrees than the field nationally, where they are 82% of credentials. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.
We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?
How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 35% of California’s Communications credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.
What these California colleges cost
Median net price across the 19 of these 23 colleges that report it, by family income. Net price is what students receiving federal aid actually paid for the WHOLE college after grants and scholarships, so it is not the price of a Communications program specifically, and not a quote for any family.
- 0-30k
- $17,543
- 30-48k
- $17,139
- 48-75k
- $19,998
- 75-110k
- $28,397
- 110k+
- $33,808
A family earning under $30,000 paid a median of $17,543 at these colleges, against $33,808 for a family earning over $110,000. Individual colleges vary widely around these medians. See every California college by income band.
What this evidence does and does not prove
This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2023-24 and 2024-25. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.
How this list was built
From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.
This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in California — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?
What Communications graduates go on to do
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Communications, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public Relations Specialists | $69,780 | 27,600 | Bachelor's degree |
| Writers and Authors | $72,270 | 13,400 | Bachelor's degree |
| Fundraisers | $66,490 | 10,200 | Bachelor's degree |
| Editors | $75,260 | 9,800 | Bachelor's degree |
| Public Relations Managers | $138,520 | 6,600 | Bachelor's degree |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | $60,280 | 4,100 | Bachelor's degree |
| Fundraising Managers | $123,480 | 3,600 | Bachelor's degree |
| Communications Teachers, Postsecondary | $77,800 | 2,700 | Doctoral or professional degree |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | $45,680 | 2,300 | Bachelor's degree |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Questions about Communications in California
- How many colleges in California awarded Communications credentials?
- 23 colleges in California reported conferring Communications credentials to the federal IPEDS completions collection in 2024-25, 21 of them a degree rather than only a certificate. Together they awarded 1,888 credentials in the fields covered.
- Which Communications programs in California have the highest graduate earnings?
- Among 36 California bachelor's programs in Communications with federal earnings data, Santa Clara University graduates earn the highest median, $84,206 four years after graduating, with a median federal debt of $17,832. University of Southern California follows at $75,864. The national median for bachelor's graduates in the same program is $56,359. (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard.)
- Does this mean these colleges currently offer Communications?
- Not necessarily. Completions record credentials already awarded, so they confirm a program ran and graduated students. They do not confirm it is still admitting. Every college here also awarded in the prior year, which makes a closed program less likely, but confirm directly with the institution before it affects where you apply.
- Is a college missing from this list?
- Possibly. A new program with no graduates yet does not appear, and CampusPin matches the federal classification exactly rather than guessing, so a college filing under a neighbouring code is absent. Absence is never evidence a program does not exist.