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Communication & Media Studies

Types of Degrees Communication & Media Studies Majors Are Earning

Those studying Communication & Media Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	94
Associate’s Degree	5,252
Bachelor’s Degree	43,557
Master’s Degree	5,769
Doctor’s Degree	538

What Communication & Media Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in Communication & Media Studies build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Communication & Media Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Communication & Media Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Communication & Media Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Communication & Media Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Communication & Media Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Communication & Media Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	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 Communication & Media Studies graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Communication Instructor
• Journalism Teacher
• Speech Communication Professor
• Rhetoric Professor
• Communication Professor
• Public Speaking Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Mass Communications Professor
• College Professor
• Journalist Professor
• Public Speaking Professor
• Communications Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Communication & Media Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	40.3%
Bachelor’s degree	29.0%
Doctoral degree	9.1%
Some college courses	8.7%
Post-doctoral training	5.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.0%
Less than a high school diploma	1.2%
First professional degree	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Communication & Media Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 64.2% of Communication & Media Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	35,456	64.2%
Men	19,754	35.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Communication & Media Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	29,217	52.9%
Asian	2,738	5.0%
Hispanic or Latino	10,474	19.0%
Black or African American	5,904	10.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	173	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	116	0.2%
Two or More Races	2,653	4.8%
Race Unknown	1,209	2.2%
International Students	2,726	4.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Communication & Media Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Communication & Media Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$38,014
4 years	$49,526
5 years	$57,312

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,312 — roughly 51% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Communication & Media Studies Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Communication & Media Studies. 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
Associate’s	47	39
Bachelor’s	107	119
Master’s	54	42
Doctoral (Research)	2	3

^{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 Communication & Media Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Communication & Media Studies graduates earn a median of $49,526 four years after completion — roughly 30% 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
Communication Journalism Media	09
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	09.99
COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS	09.00
Journalism	09.04
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	09.09
Publishing	09.10
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	09.07

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.