Communication & Media Studies

Types of Degrees Communication & Media Studies Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many communication and media studies graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	53,798
Associate Degree	6,434
Master’s Degree	4,407
Basic Certificate	1,449
Doctor’s Degree	425
Graduate Certificate	227
Undergraduate Certificate	47

What Communication & Media Studies Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to communications and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Communications Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in communications should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

Skills for Communications Majors

A major in communications prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Communications Majors

Communications majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Communication & Media Studies Major?

People with a communications degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Copy Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Public Address System and Other Announcers	2.6%	$27,720
Public Relations Specialists	8.9%	$60,000

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Communication & Media Studies?

This is one of the most frequently chosen undergraduate majors. It is the 5th most popular in the country with 53,796 students graduating with a bachelor’s in communications in 2021. The major attracts more women than men. About 64% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of communications majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2,503
Black or African American	6,239
Hispanic or Latino	8,338
White	30,457
International Students	2,263
Other Races/Ethnicities	3,998

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Communications. About 4.2% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• Saudi Arabia
• Canada
• Japan

How Much Do Communication & Media Studies Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications have a median salary of $32,435 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $29,118 (25th percentile) and $36,075 (75th percentile).

Note that some of these people may have jobs that are not directly related to a communications degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $51,630 to $73,090 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to communications. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Communication & Media Studies

Some degrees associated with communications may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for communications careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.8%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	6.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.5%
Some College Courses	6.8%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	3.5%
Bachelor’s Degree	56.3%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.8%
Master’s Degree	13.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.5%
Doctoral Degree	2.5%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.2%

Online Communication & Media Studies Programs

In 2020-2021, 1,411 schools offered a communications program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	34	4
Certificate (2-4 Years)	1	0
Associate’s Degree	333	29
Bachelor’s Degree	58	15
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	339	37
Post-Master’s	10	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	98	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Communication & Media Studies Worth It?

The median salary for a communications grad is $68,440 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 72% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $570,800 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Communication & Media Studies

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to communications.

Major	Number of Grads
Public Relations & Advertising	21,099
Radio, Television & Digital Communication	17,669
Journalism	13,552
Communication & Journalism (Other)	1,128
Publishing	336

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By UNU-WIDER from Helsinki, Finland under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.