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Journalism

Types of Degrees Journalism Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Journalism can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	30
Associate’s Degree	566
Bachelor’s Degree	9,354
Master’s Degree	1,360
Doctor’s Degree	19

What Journalism Majors Need to Know

Studies in Journalism emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Journalism graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Journalism emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Journalism program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Journalism careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Journalism graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Journalism professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Journalism graduates include:

• Journalism Instructor
• Professor
• Associate Professor
• Communications Faculty Member
• Communication Instructor
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Speech Instructor
• Communication Skills Instructor
• Speech Teacher
• Adjunct Professor
• Journalist Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Communications Instructor
• Media Arts Professor
• Communication Studies Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	56.4%
Doctoral degree	13.7%
Bachelor’s degree	9.6%
Post-doctoral training	8.5%
Some college courses	4.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.7%
High school diploma or equivalent	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.8%
Less than a high school diploma	0.7%
First professional degree	0.4%
Postsecondary certificate	0.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Journalism?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 63.6% of Journalism degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	7,203	63.6%
Men	4,131	36.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Journalism graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	6,666	58.8%
Asian	398	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	1,824	16.1%
Black or African American	1,216	10.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	45	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	6	0.1%
Two or More Races	524	4.6%
Race Unknown	177	1.6%
International Students	478	4.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Journalism Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Journalism graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$36,675
4 years	$49,199
5 years	$57,526

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $57,526 — roughly 57% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Journalism Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Journalism. 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	8	9
Bachelor’s	13	21
Master’s	10	9

^{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 Journalism Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Journalism graduates earn a median of $49,199 four years after completion — roughly 29% 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, General	09.01
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	09.99
COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS	09.00
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.