Best Online Communications Programs in Long Beach, CA (2026)

Long Beach, California has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs, with tuition ranging from $7,350 to $23,191 per year for indexed programs. Long Beach has a population of about 458,491. Median household income is $83,969 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, the top-earning communications-related role is Public Relations Manager at a median $163,830 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Communications Schools to Long Beach

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer communications programs near Long Beach, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Long Beach city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Long Beach. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

California State University-Long Beach

Long Beach, CA 3.0 miles from Long Beach BOC Score 86.2
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
Acceptance rate 46%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,403
Avg net price $10,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,350
Out‑of‑state$19,950
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA 3.6 miles from Long Beach BOC Score 43.6
  • 2 year
Graduation rate 24%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,870
Avg net price $6,202/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 89

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California communications page.


Communications Wages Near Long Beach

Long Beach is part of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area (BLS area code 31080). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist$79,860Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$70,299
Public Relations Manager$163,830Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$144,217
News Analyst, Reporter and JournalistN/ACA statewide
Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist$82,990Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$73,055

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.


Long Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population458,491Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$83,969Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+34.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)113.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Long Beach-Area Cities With Communications Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited communications schools are near Long Beach, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering communications programs near Long Beach. The closest is California State University-Long Beach in Long Beach, CA (3.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Los Angeles Harbor College (7.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying communications roles near Long Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying communications-related roles near Long Beach are: Public Relations Manager ($163,830), Market Research Analyst and Marketing Specialist ($82,990), Public Relations Specialist ($79,860). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Lakewood instead of Long Beach?

Lakewood, CA is 3.6 miles from Long Beach and has its own set of local communications programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Long Beach an affordable place to study communications?

Long Beach’s median household income of $83,969 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Long Beach while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.


Learn More About Communications Programs

Other Programs Available in Long Beach

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Long Beach:

Data verified: July 30, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.