Strategic Communications Schools Near Imperial Beach, CA

Updated August 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Imperial Beach, California has 7 accredited schools offering strategic communications programs, with tuition ranging from $1,164 to $64,984 per year for indexed programs. Imperial Beach has a population of about 25,897. Median household income is $79,071 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning strategic communications-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $174,840 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Strategic Communications Schools to Imperial Beach

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

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

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#1

National University

San Diego, CA 18.0 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
44.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 42%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $67,548
Avg net price $22,878/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 53%
  • Programs offered: 53

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Chapman University

Orange, CA 86.1 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,070
Avg net price $46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California Baptist University

Riverside, CA 95.6 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,504
Avg net price $26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 74%
  • Programs offered: 46

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Biola University

La Mirada, CA 106.0 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
61.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 70%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,778
Avg net price $31,495/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 26

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Azusa Pacific University

Azusa, CA 116.7 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
72.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,677
Avg net price $22,212/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 41

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 121.2 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 68

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA 127.0 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 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

#8

Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA 136.9 miles from Imperial Beach
  • 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

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

Strategic Communications Wages Near Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). 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 Manager$157,630San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$140,867
Public Relations Specialist$81,240San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$72,601
Marketing Manager$174,840San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$156,247

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.

Imperial Beach at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population25,897Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$79,071Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+23.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)111.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Imperial Beach-Area Cities With Strategic Communications Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited strategic communications schools are near Imperial Beach, CA?

Our directory has 7 accredited schools offering strategic communications programs near Imperial Beach. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (14.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is California Baptist University (95.7 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying strategic communications roles near Imperial Beach?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying strategic communications-related roles near Imperial Beach are: Marketing Manager ($174,840), Public Relations Manager ($157,630), Public Relations Specialist ($81,240). 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 National City instead of Imperial Beach?

National City, CA is 6.8 miles from Imperial Beach and has its own set of local strategic communications programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Imperial Beach an affordable place to study strategic communications?

Imperial Beach’s median household income of $79,071 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Imperial 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 Strategic Communications Programs

Other Programs Available in Imperial Beach

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

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.

Back to Best Strategic Communications Schools in California (2026)