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Communication & Media Studies Doctor's Degree

Communication & Media Studies Doctor’s Degrees

There are 1,276 schools in the United States where you can earn adoctor’s degree in Communication & Media Studies. In recent years, the majority of students earning degrees in this area were women, and about25% were students from underrepresented racial-ethnic groups. Also, 28.3% of Communication & Media Studies graduates were international students.

Education Levels of Communication & Media Studies Majors

During the most recent year for which data is available, 55,210 people earned theirCommunication & Media Studies majors across all award levels. The following table shows the number of diplomas awarded in Communication & Media Studies at each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Certificate 94
Associate’s Degree 5,252
Bachelor’s Degree 43,557
Master’s Degree 5,769
Doctor’s Degree (this page) 538

Earnings of Communication & Media Studies Majors With Doctor’s Degrees (All Award Levels)

Federal data tracks the median salary for graduates with adoctor’s degree in Communication & Media Studies of $49,526 four years after graduation. These figures are reported program-wide, across all award levels.

However, this can depend on a number of factors, such as where you live and the number of years of experience you have.

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

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker (program-wide, all award levels).

Student Debt (All Award Levels)

We do not have the data to calculate the median and range of debt loads for Communication & Media Studies students with their doctor’s degree.

Student Diversity

More women than men pursue their doctor’s degree in Communication & Media Studies. About 67.7% of graduates with this degree are women.

Gender Number of Grads
Men 174
Women 364
Gender Diversity of Doctor's Degrees in Communication & Media Studies

The racial-ethnic distribution of Communication & Media Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity Number of Grads Share
White 252 46.8%
Asian 28 5.2%
Hispanic or Latino 24 4.5%
Black or African American 50 9.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1 0.2%
Two or More Races 13 2.4%
Race Unknown 18 3.3%
International Students 152 28.3%
Racial-Ethnic Diversity of Communication & Media Studies Doctor's Degree Students

This degree is very popular with international students. Around 28.3% of graduates are in this category.

See the minority definition in the References below.

There are 1,403 colleges that offer a doctor’s degree in Communication & Media Studies. Learn more about the most popular below:

University of California-Santa Barbara tops the list of the most popular schools in the U.S. for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 649 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Texas A&M University-College Station is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 648 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

California State University-Fullerton is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 628 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Arizona State University Digital Immersion comes in at #4 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. This school awarded 598 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 561 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

University of Southern California comes in at #6 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. This school awarded 514 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Ohio State University-Main Campus is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 467 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#8

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University comes in at #8 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 455 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#9

Grand Canyon University

Phoenix, AZ

Grand Canyon University is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 412 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#10

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida comes in at #10 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 380 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

California State University-Sacramento comes in at #11 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 376 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Arizona State University Campus Immersion comes in at #12 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 370 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 368 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Central Florida comes in at #14 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. This school awarded 368 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

California State University-Long Beach comes in at #15 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 356 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#16

Indiana University-Bloomington

Bloomington, IN

Indiana University-Bloomington is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. This school awarded 355 doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies in the most recent reporting year. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

#17

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University comes in at #17 on our list of the most popular colleges offering doctor's degrees in Communication & Media Studies. During the most recent year for which we have data, 337 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Graduates who complete their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies here go on to a median salary of $40,669.

Florida International University is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 334 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

University of Washington-Seattle Campus is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 331 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

#20

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech University is a popular choice for Communication & Media Studies majors seeking their doctor's degree. During the most recent year for which we have data, 313 people received their doctor's degree in Communication & Media Studies from this school. Data shows that graduates who hold this degree go on to make a median salary of $40,669.

Communication & Media Studies Majors to Study

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Speech Communication and Rhetoric 32,944
Communication, General 11,299
Mass Communication/Media Studies 8,694
Communication and Media Studies, Other 2,273

Below are some popular majors similar to Communication & Media Studies that also offer doctor’s degrees.

Major Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 19,636
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication 17,813
Journalism 11,334
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other 1,080
Publishing 340

References

The racial-ethnic minority student 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 to obtain the percentage of racial-ethnic minorities.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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