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Audiovisual Communications Major

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Audiovisual Communications

1,307 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
89 Master's Degrees Annually
#152 in Popularity
$61,750 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Audiovisual Communications Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many audiovisual communications graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Associate Degree 1,995
Undergraduate Certificate 1,586
Bachelor’s Degree 1,307
Basic Certificate 1,252
Master’s Degree 89

What Audiovisual Communications Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, audiovisual 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 Audiovisual Majors

Audiovisual majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

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  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • 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.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  • Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.

Skills for Audiovisual Majors

audiovisual majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • 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.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Audiovisual Majors

Audiovisual majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

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  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

What Can You Do With a Audiovisual Communications Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with audiovisual:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Audio and Video Equipment Technicians 12.8% $43,770
Camera Operators, Television, Video, and Motion Picture 7.2% $54,570
Film and Video Editors 17.0% $62,650
Sound Engineering Technicians 6.5% $52,390

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communications?

1,307 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
30% Percent Women
47% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 1,307 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in audiovisual communications in 2021, making it rank #152 in popularity. This major attracts more men than women. About 70% of the graduates in this field are male.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 29
Black or African American 295
Hispanic or Latino 231
White 603
International Students 14
Other Races/Ethnicities 135

Geographic Diversity

Audiovisual appeals to people across the globe. About 1.1% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • South Korea
  • Venezuela
  • Canada
  • India

How Much Do Audiovisual Communications Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in audiovisual communications made a median starting salary of $25,695 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $22,393 (25th percentile) and $27,099 (75th percentile).

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It’s important to note that just because the people reporting these salaries have a degree in audiovisual, it does not mean that they are working in a job related to their degree.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $48,940 to $63,500 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to audiovisual. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for an Audiovisual Communications Major  ( 48940 to 63500 )
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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with audiovisual require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for audiovisual careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma 2.4%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 21.7%
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) 14.5%
Some College Courses 15.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 25.8%
Bachelor’s Degree 22.6%
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. 0.8%

Online Audiovisual Communications Programs

In 2020-2021, 332 schools offered a audiovisual program of some type. 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) 163 3
Certificate (2-4 Years) 4 0
Associate’s Degree 246 3
Bachelor’s Degree 2 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 8 1
Post-Master’s 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Audiovisual Communications Worth It?

The median salary for a audiovisual grad is $61,750 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 55% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $437,000 after 20 years!

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

Major Number of Grads
Graphic Communications 7,518
Communications Technology 915
Other Communication Technology 164

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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