Federal data
Highest earning communication and media studies programs in California
California communication and media studies programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | San Luis Obispo | Public, 4-year | $62,183 | 41 |
| 2 | Ashford University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $58,089 | 47 |
| 3 | Santa Clara University | Santa Clara | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $51,720 | 62 |
| 4 | University of Phoenix-California | Ontario | For-profit, 4-year | $47,919 | 291 |
| 5 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $47,651 | 169 |
| 6 | DeVry University | Ontario | For-profit, 4-year | $47,622 | 33 |
| 7 | University of California-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara | Public, 4-year | $46,598 | 380 |
| 8 | Chapman University | Orange | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $44,601 | 64 |
| 9 | University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley | Public, 4-year | $43,696 | 213 |
| 10 | University of California-Davis | Davis | Public, 4-year | $42,569 | 285 |
| 11 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $42,300 | 30 |
| 12 | Westmont College | Santa Barbara | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $41,225 | 30 |
| 13 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $41,113 | 118 |
| 14 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $40,790 | 456 |
| 15 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $40,776 | 86 |
| 16 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $40,109 | 157 |
| 17 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $39,304 | 601 |
| 18 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $39,000 | 93 |
| 19 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $38,421 | 201 |
| 20 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $37,773 | 214 |
| 21 | California Lutheran University | Thousand Oaks | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $37,249 | 76 |
| 22 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $36,310 | 263 |
| 23 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $35,722 | 119 |
| 24 | Saint Mary's College of California | Moraga | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $35,356 | 42 |
| 25 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $34,172 | 438 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.
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