Journalism

Types of Degrees Journalism Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many journalism graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	12,988
Master’s Degree	1,550
Associate’s Degree	690
Basic Certificate	136
Graduate Certificate	51
Undergraduate Certificate	34
Doctor’s Degree	17

What Journalism Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to journalism 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 Journalism Majors

Journalism majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Journalism Majors

journalism majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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 Journalism Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a journalism student include the following:

• 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 Journalism Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with journalism:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Copy Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism?

Journalism runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #38 out of all the undergraduate majors we track. In 2019, about 12,988 graduates completed their bachelor’s degree in this field. The major attracts more women than men. About 66% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	439
Black or African American	1,607
Hispanic or Latino	1,764
White	7,977
International Students	362
Other Races/Ethnicities	839

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Journalism. About 2.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• India
• Canada
• United Kingdom

How Much Do Journalism Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism made a median starting salary of $30,000 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $26,900 (25th percentile) and $33,100 (75th percentile).

One thing to note here is that not all of these people may be working in careers related to journalism.

Salaries According to BLS

Journalism majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $51,630 to $78,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

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 Journalism

Some careers associated with journalism require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. 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 journalism careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.9%
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)	2.2%
Some College Courses	11.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	52.9%
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.	0.2%
Master’s Degree	11.8%
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.	0.2%
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	1.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.2%

Online Journalism Programs

In the 2018-2019 academic year, 537 schools offered some type of journalism program. 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)	43	2
Certificate (1-2 years)	25	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	129	4
Bachelor’s Degree	17	2
Post-Baccalaureate	43	2
Master’s Degree	87	15
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Journalism Worth It?

The median salary for a journalism grad is $69,480 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 74% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $591,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Journalism

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

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	68,301
Public Relations & Advertising	20,156
Radio, Television & Digital Communication	16,150
Communication & Journalism (Other)	1,784
Publishing	297

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 Jfurrer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.