2025 Best General Journalism Schools in California
18
Colleges in California
1,479
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Ranked #69 in popularity,
general journalism is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 18 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for general journalism students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,479 degrees in general journalism annually.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great General Journalism School
Your choice of general journalism 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 general journalism schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.
General Journalism Rankings by Degree Level
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best General Journalism Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for General Journalism in California
The schools below may not offer all types of journalism degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.
10 Top California Schools in Journalism
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
180
Journalism Degrees Awarded
It is difficult to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in general journalism. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 180 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
13th
Most Popular In CA
33
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Loyola Marymount University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general journalism. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #222 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
There were roughly 33 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from Loyola Marymount University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CA
85
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Any student who is interested in general journalism needs to look into California State University - Long Beach. Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #246 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CSULB is a great university overall.
There were about 85 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general journalism from California State University - Long Beach
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
145
Journalism Degrees Awarded
It is hard to beat San Diego State University if you wish to pursue a degree in general journalism. Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were about 145 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from San Diego State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
133
Journalism Degrees Awarded
CSUN is a fairly large public university located in the city of Northridge. A Best Colleges rank of #350 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CSUN is a great university overall.
There were about 133 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at CSUN in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from California State University - Northridge
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
39th
Most Popular In CA
Pepperdine is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Malibu. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.
There were about 10 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from Pepperdine University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CA
58
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a very large public university located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo. A Best Colleges rank of #165 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a great university overall.
There were roughly 58 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
7th
Most Popular In CA
42
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were about 42 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in general journalism from San Francisco State University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In CA
95
Journalism Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 81st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 95 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at Fresno State in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general journalism from California State University - Fresno
Located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita, College of the Canyons is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 99th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 19 general journalism students who graduated with this degree at College of the Canyons in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in general journalism from College of the Canyons
