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business/corporate communications (other)

Types of Degrees business/corporate communications (other) Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing business/corporate communications (other) can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	12

What business/corporate communications (other) Majors Need to Know

Studies in business/corporate communications (other) develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that business/corporate communications (other) graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing business/corporate communications (other) emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a business/corporate communications (other) program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Writing — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to business/corporate communications (other) careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, business/corporate communications (other) graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.9 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by business/corporate communications (other) professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for business/corporate communications (other) graduates include:

• Professor
• College Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Speech Instructor
• Communications Instructor
• Communication Lecturer
• Journalist Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to business/corporate communications (other) graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	36.1%
Bachelor’s degree	25.7%
Doctoral degree	13.6%
Some college courses	7.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.6%
Post-doctoral training	4.8%
Postsecondary certificate	1.2%
Less than a high school diploma	1.0%
First professional degree	0.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in business/corporate communications (other)?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 83.3% of business/corporate communications (other) degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	10	83.3%
Men	2	16.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of business/corporate communications (other) graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	9	75.0%
Asian	1	8.3%
Hispanic or Latino	1	8.3%
Two or More Races	1	8.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do business/corporate communications (other) Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of business/corporate communications (other) graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,829
4 years	$57,227
5 years	$64,323

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,323 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online business/corporate communications (other) Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for business/corporate communications (other). The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in business/corporate communications (other) Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, business/corporate communications (other) graduates earn a median of $57,227 four years after completion — roughly 51% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Business/Corporate Communications	52.05
Business/Corporate Communications, General	52.0501
Grantsmanship	52.0502

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.