Best Journalism Schools Near Thousand Oaks, CA (2026)

Thousand Oaks, California has 43 accredited schools offering journalism programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $69,918 per year for indexed programs. Thousand Oaks has a population of about 125,676. Median household income is $134,367 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 50.9% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area, the top-earning journalism-related role is Public Relations Specialist at a median $80,610 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).


Closest Journalism Schools to Thousand Oaks

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer journalism programs near Thousand Oaks, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Thousand Oaks 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 Thousand Oaks. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score β€” U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Moorpark College

Moorpark, CA 7.8 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
65.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 34%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,044
Avg net price $-2,296/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 39

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA 14.3 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $82,939
Avg net price $58,098/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California State University-Northridge

Northridge, CA 20.3 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
75.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 93%
Graduation rate 57%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,115
Avg net price $7,021/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,458
Out‑of‑state$20,058
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 43

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

#4

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 23.8 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 25.9 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,678
Avg net price $12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 42

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA 26.0 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,193
Avg net price $2,779/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA 30.2 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
72.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,349
Avg net price $48,381/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 88%
  • Programs offered: 32

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

New York Film Academy

Burbank, CA 31.0 miles from Thousand Oaks
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
35.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,633
Avg net price $39,011/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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


Journalism Wages Near Thousand Oaks

Thousand Oaks is part of the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA metro area (BLS area code 37100). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
News Analyst, Reporter, and JournalistN/ACA statewide
Editor$80,570Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$72,914
Public Relations Specialist$80,610Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$72,950

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.


Thousand Oaks at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population125,676Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$134,367Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+50.9%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)110.5 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Thousand Oaks-Area Cities With Journalism Programs


Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited journalism schools are near Thousand Oaks, CA?

Our directory has 43 accredited schools offering journalism programs near Thousand Oaks. The closest is Moorpark College in Moorpark, CA (7.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is New York Film Academy (31.0 miles). 7 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying journalism roles near Thousand Oaks?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying journalism-related roles near Thousand Oaks are: Public Relations Specialist ($80,610), Editor ($80,570). 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 Moorpark instead of Thousand Oaks?

Moorpark, CA is 6.5 miles from Thousand Oaks and has its own set of local journalism programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Thousand Oaks an affordable place to study journalism?

Thousand Oaks’s median household income of $134,367 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Thousand Oaks 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 Journalism Programs

Other Programs Available in Thousand Oaks

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Thousand Oaks:

Data verified: August 11, 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.