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cultural journalism

What cultural journalism Majors Need to Know

Coursework for cultural journalism develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that cultural journalism graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in cultural journalism emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a cultural journalism program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, cultural journalism graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by cultural journalism professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Avid Technology Pro Tools	Music or sound editing software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Video editing software	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for cultural journalism graduates include:

• Communications Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• Assistant Professor
• Mass Communications Professor
• Journalism Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Rhetoric Professor
• Professor
• Journalism Teacher
• University Faculty Member
• Communication Arts Lecturer
• College Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Adjunct Communications Instructor
• Public Speaking Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	70.8%
Doctoral degree	17.4%
Post-doctoral training	10.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%

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

How Much Do cultural journalism Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of cultural 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.}

Is a Degree in cultural journalism Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, cultural 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
Journalism	09.04
Broadcast Journalism	09.0402
Business and Economic Journalism	09.0405
Journalism, Other	09.0499
Journalism	09.0401
Photojournalism	09.0404
Science/Health/Environmental Journalism	09.0407
Communication, General	09.0100
International and Intercultural Communication	09.0907
Mass Communication/Media Studies	09.0102
Political Communication	09.0904
Radio and Television	09.0701

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.