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General Journalism

Types of Degrees General Journalism Majors Are Earning

People majoring in General Journalism can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	16
Associate’s Degree	492
Bachelor’s Degree	8,071
Master’s Degree	775
Doctor’s Degree	19

What General Journalism Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Journalism emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a General Journalism program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Journalism careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Journalism graduates report doing:

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

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Journalism professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Journalism graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	43.7%
Bachelor’s degree	17.4%
Doctoral degree	10.5%
Some college courses	8.7%
Post-doctoral training	6.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	3.0%
Less than a high school diploma	1.4%
Postsecondary certificate	1.1%
First professional degree	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Journalism?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 64.4% of General Journalism degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,035	64.4%
Men	3,343	35.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	5,540	59.1%
Asian	333	3.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,548	16.5%
Black or African American	1,008	10.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	33	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.0%
Two or More Races	442	4.7%
Race Unknown	141	1.5%
International Students	329	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Journalism Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General 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 General Journalism Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for General 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	7	9
Bachelor’s	12	20
Master’s	9	7

^{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 General Journalism Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General 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
Cultural Journalism	09.0406
Journalism, Other	09.0499
Photojournalism	09.0404
Science/Health/Environmental Journalism	09.0407
Communication, General	09.0100
Mass Communication/Media Studies	09.0102
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	09.9999

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.