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Radio & Television

Types of Degrees Radio & Television Majors Are Earning

Those studying Radio & Television can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	487
Associate’s Degree	1,191
Bachelor’s Degree	3,484
Master’s Degree	464
Doctor’s Degree	5

What Radio & Television Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Radio & Television build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Radio & Television graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Radio & Television emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Radio & Television graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Radio & Television professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Radio & Television graduates include:

• Communication Instructor
• Rhetoric Professor
• Communications Professor
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Communication Skills Instructor
• Communications Media Professor
• Communication Arts Professor
• Assistant Professor
• Communication Studies Professor
• Communications Assistant Professor
• Communications Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Communications Faculty Member
• Communication Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	33.1%
Master’s degree	31.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	8.5%
Doctoral degree	7.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	6.5%
Post-doctoral training	4.6%
Some college courses	4.5%
Postsecondary certificate	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.7%
First professional degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Radio & Television?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 44% women and 56% men among Radio & Television graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,489	44.0%
Men	3,164	56.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Radio & Television graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,313	40.9%
Asian	380	6.7%
Hispanic or Latino	1,745	30.9%
Black or African American	622	11.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	17	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	7	0.1%
Two or More Races	289	5.1%
Race Unknown	97	1.7%
International Students	183	3.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Radio & Television Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Radio & Television 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	$30,213
4 years	$40,945
5 years	$47,545

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $47,545 — roughly 57% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Radio & Television Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Radio & Television. 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
Bachelor’s	3	4

^{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 Radio & Television Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Radio & Television graduates earn a median of $40,945 four years after completion — roughly 8% 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
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	09.07
Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia	09.0702
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other	09.0799
Broadcast Journalism	09.0402
Communication, General	09.0100
Sports Communication	09.0906
Business and Economic Journalism	09.0405
Cultural Journalism	09.0406
International and Intercultural Communication	09.0907
Journalism, Other	09.0499
Journalism	09.0401

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.