Digital Communication

Types of Degrees Digital Communication Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many radio, television & digital communication graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	10,971
Master’s Degree	2,951
Associate Degree	1,554
Undergraduate Certificate	1,415
Basic Certificate	1,194
Graduate Certificate	115
Doctor’s Degree	57

What Digital Communication Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, digital communication majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Digital Communication Majors

Digital Communication 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Digital Communication Majors

When studying digital communication, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Digital Communication Majors

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

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Digital Communication Major?

People with a digital communication degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio	12.2%	$71,680
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Media and Communication Workers	10.0%	$48,330
Producers	12.2%	$71,680
Program Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Talent Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Technical Directors/Managers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Communication?

Radio, Television & Digital Communication runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #45 out of all the undergraduate majors we track. In 2021, about 11,580 graduates completed their bachelor’s degree in this field. This major is dominated by women with about 56% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	599
Black or African American	1,091
Hispanic or Latino	2,203
White	5,644
International Students	666
Other Races/Ethnicities	768

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Digital Communication, too. About 6.1% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Digital Communication

Some careers associated with digital communication 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to digital communication have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.9%
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)	3.5%
Some College Courses	6.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	54.3%
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.	0.8%
Master’s Degree	15.7%
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.	0.6%
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.	2.3%
Doctoral Degree	1.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Digital Communication Programs

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)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	87	2
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	163	10
Bachelor’s Degree	40	13
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	115	18
Post-Master’s	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	15	2
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Digital Communication

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

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	56,620
Public Relations & Advertising	20,666
Journalism	12,280
Communication & Journalism (Other)	1,238
Publishing	371

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 {} under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.