Program Payoff

Communication and Media Studies programs in California

147 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. 3 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $26,353 at Pasadena City College.

What this work pays in California

Public Relations Specialists in California earn a median of $85,030 a year across 32,710 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.

Also leads toMedianJobs in California
Editors$98,03014,830
Fundraisers$79,71012,860
Media and Communication Workers, All Other$102,6309,940
Public Relations Managers$167,9809,400
Writers and Authors$86,4808,390

Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

Schools

SchoolCredentialMedian debtGraduate earnings, 2 yrsGraduates
Pasadena City College Pasadena Associate's degree — $26,353 (24 grads) 64
Orange Coast College Costa Mesa Associate's degree — $18,771 (18 grads) 140
Cerritos College Norwalk Associate's degree — $18,087 (12 grads) 57
San Diego Mesa College San Diego Associate's degree — not published 52
Academy of Art University San Francisco Undergraduate certificate — not published 3
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Allan Hancock College Santa Maria Associate's degree — not published 14
American River College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 19
Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster Associate's degree — not published 28
Bakersfield College Bakersfield Undergraduate certificate — not published 107
Bakersfield College Bakersfield Associate's degree — not published 144
Barstow Community College Barstow Associate's degree — not published 8
Berkeley City College Berkeley Associate's degree — not published 17
Butte College Oroville Associate's degree — not published 28
Cabrillo College Aptos Undergraduate certificate — not published 14
Cabrillo College Aptos Associate's degree — not published 49
Canada College Redwood City Associate's degree — not published 12
Cerritos College Norwalk Undergraduate certificate — not published 30
Chabot College Hayward Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Chabot College Hayward Associate's degree — not published 20
Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga Associate's degree — not published 61
Citrus College Glendora Associate's degree — not published 40
City College of San Francisco San Francisco Associate's degree — not published 15
Clovis Community College Fresno Undergraduate certificate — not published 14
Clovis Community College Fresno Associate's degree — not published 50
Coalinga College Coalinga Associate's degree — not published 1
Coastline Community College Fountain Valley Associate's degree — not published 13
College of Alameda Alameda Associate's degree — not published 5
College of Marin Kentfield Associate's degree — not published 14
College of San Mateo San Mateo Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
College of San Mateo San Mateo Associate's degree — not published 52
College of the Canyons Santa Clarita Associate's degree — not published 71
College of the Desert Palm Desert Associate's degree — not published 25
College of the Redwoods Eureka Associate's degree — not published 1
College of the Sequoias Visalia Undergraduate certificate — not published 9
College of the Sequoias Visalia Associate's degree — not published 24
College of the Siskiyous Weed Associate's degree — not published 5
Columbia College Sonora Associate's degree — not published 0
Compton College Compton Associate's degree — not published 3
Contra Costa College San Pablo Associate's degree — not published 3
Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree Associate's degree — not published 4
Cosumnes River College Sacramento Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Cosumnes River College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 38
Crafton Hills College Yucaipa Associate's degree — not published 19
Cuesta College San Luis Obispo Associate's degree — not published 35
Cuyamaca College El Cajon Associate's degree — not published 10
Cypress College Cypress Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
Cypress College Cypress Associate's degree — not published 29
De Anza College Cupertino Undergraduate certificate — not published 30
De Anza College Cupertino Associate's degree — not published 71
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill Undergraduate certificate — not published 7
Diablo Valley College Pleasant Hill Associate's degree — not published 70
East Los Angeles College Monterey Park Associate's degree — not published 37
El Camino Community College District Torrance Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
El Camino Community College District Torrance Associate's degree — not published 72
Evergreen Valley College San Jose Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Evergreen Valley College San Jose Associate's degree — not published 23
Folsom Lake College Folsom Undergraduate certificate — not published 11
Folsom Lake College Folsom Associate's degree — not published 27
Foothill College Los Altos Hills Undergraduate certificate — not published 30
Foothill College Los Altos Hills Associate's degree — not published 48
Fresno City College Fresno Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Fresno City College Fresno Associate's degree — not published 31
Fullerton College Fullerton Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Fullerton College Fullerton Associate's degree — not published 87
Gavilan College Gilroy Undergraduate certificate — not published 11
Gavilan College Gilroy Associate's degree — not published 25
Glendale Community College Glendale Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Glendale Community College Glendale Associate's degree — not published 37
Golden West College Huntington Beach Associate's degree — not published 56
Grossmont College El Cajon Associate's degree — not published 32
Hartnell College Salinas Associate's degree — not published 9
Imperial Valley College Imperial Associate's degree — not published 6
Irvine Valley College Irvine Associate's degree — not published 53
Laney College Oakland Associate's degree — not published 9
Las Positas College Livermore Associate's degree — not published 25
Lemoore College Lemoore Associate's degree — not published 2
Long Beach City College Long Beach Associate's degree — not published 161
Los Angeles City College Los Angeles Associate's degree — not published 14
Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington Associate's degree — not published 13
Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar Associate's degree — not published 6
Los Angeles Pierce College Woodland Hills Associate's degree — not published 44
Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles Associate's degree — not published 5
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen Undergraduate certificate — not published 24
Los Angeles Valley College Valley Glen Associate's degree — not published 48
Los Medanos College Pittsburg Associate's degree — not published 25
Madera Community College Madera Undergraduate certificate — not published 4
Madera Community College Madera Associate's degree — not published 6
Mendocino College Ukiah Associate's degree — not published 6
Merced College Merced Associate's degree — not published 14
Merritt College Oakland Associate's degree — not published 10
MiraCosta College Oceanside Associate's degree — not published 61
Mission College Santa Clara Undergraduate certificate — not published 4
Mission College Santa Clara Associate's degree — not published 16
Modesto Junior College Modesto Undergraduate certificate — not published 20
Modesto Junior College Modesto Associate's degree — not published 27
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Monterey Peninsula College Monterey Associate's degree — not published 10
Moorpark College Moorpark Associate's degree — not published 65
Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley Associate's degree — not published 11
Mt San Antonio College Walnut Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Mt San Antonio College Walnut Associate's degree — not published 90
Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto Associate's degree — not published 37
Napa Valley College Napa Associate's degree — not published 24
Norco College Norco Associate's degree — not published 29
Ohlone College Fremont Undergraduate certificate — not published 27
Ohlone College Fremont Associate's degree — not published 15
Oxnard College Oxnard Associate's degree — not published 9
Palomar College San Marcos Associate's degree — not published 48
Porterville College Porterville Undergraduate certificate — not published 35
Porterville College Porterville Associate's degree — not published 18
Reedley College Reedley Undergraduate certificate — not published 29
Reedley College Reedley Associate's degree — not published 27
Rio Hondo College Whittier Undergraduate certificate — not published 1
Rio Hondo College Whittier Associate's degree — not published 21
Riverside City College Riverside Associate's degree — not published 42
Sacramento City College Sacramento Undergraduate certificate — not published —
Sacramento City College Sacramento Associate's degree — not published 55
Saddleback College Mission Viejo Associate's degree — not published 115
San Bernardino Valley College San Bernardino Associate's degree — not published 10
San Diego City College San Diego Associate's degree — not published 33
San Diego Mesa College San Diego Undergraduate certificate — not published —
San Diego Miramar College San Diego Undergraduate certificate — not published —
San Diego Miramar College San Diego Associate's degree — not published 23
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton Undergraduate certificate — not published 4
San Joaquin Delta College Stockton Associate's degree — not published 21
San Jose City College San Jose Undergraduate certificate — not published 2
San Jose City College San Jose Associate's degree — not published 17
Santa Ana College Santa Ana Undergraduate certificate — not published 183
Santa Ana College Santa Ana Associate's degree — not published 34
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara Undergraduate certificate — not published 0
Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara Associate's degree — not published 146
Santa Monica College Santa Monica Associate's degree — not published 160
Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa Associate's degree — not published 35
Santiago Canyon College Orange Associate's degree — not published 51
Shasta College Redding Associate's degree — not published 9
Sierra College Rocklin Associate's degree — not published 68
Skyline College San Bruno Associate's degree — not published 27
Solano Community College Fairfield Associate's degree — not published 18
Southwestern College Chula Vista Associate's degree — not published 38
Ventura College Ventura Associate's degree — not published 20
Victor Valley College Victorville Associate's degree — not published 25
West Los Angeles College Culver City Associate's degree — not published 22
West Valley College Saratoga Undergraduate certificate — not published 34
West Valley College Saratoga Associate's degree — not published 63
Woodland Community College Woodland Associate's degree — not published 3
Yuba College Marysville Associate's degree — not published 8

A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.

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The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Communication and Media Studies — nothing else, and nothing in between.

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Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.