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Publishing

Types of Degrees Publishing Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Publishing have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	84
Master’s Degree	253

What Publishing Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills emphasized by a Publishing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Publishing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Publishing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Google Drive	Cloud-based data access and sharing software	—
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—
Style guide databases	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
WordPress	Web page creation and editing software	—
WhiteSmoke	Word processing software	—
File transfer protocol FTP software	Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Publishing graduates include:

• Fashion Editor
• Newspaper Managing Editor
• Continuity Editor
• Censor
• Acquisitions Editor
• Scientific Publications Editor
• Digital Editor
• Science Editor
• Newspaper Photo Editor
• Market Editor
• Story Reader
• Story Editor
• Opinion Editor
• Continuity Reader
• Manuscript Editor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	80.4%
Master’s degree	17.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Publishing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.6% of Publishing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	298	87.6%
Men	42	12.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	206	60.6%
Asian	12	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	49	14.4%
Black or African American	19	5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	22	6.5%
Race Unknown	15	4.4%
International Students	16	4.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Publishing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Publishing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,218
4 years	$59,025
5 years	$65,201

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,201 — roughly 54% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Publishing Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Publishing. 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
Master’s	3	1

^{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 Publishing Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Publishing graduates earn a median of $59,025 four years after completion — roughly 55% 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
Journalism	09.04
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	09.09
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.