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Radio & TV Broadcasting

Types of Degrees Radio & TV Broadcasting Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Radio & TV Broadcasting have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	155
Associate’s Degree	498
Bachelor’s Degree	460
Master’s Degree	402

What Radio & TV Broadcasting Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Radio & TV Broadcasting emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Communications and Media — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Telecommunications — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set built by a Radio & TV Broadcasting program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Radio & TV Broadcasting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Information Ordering — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.
• Visualization — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Radio & TV Broadcasting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Radio & TV Broadcasting professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Avid Technology audio visual editing software	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Premiere Pro	Video creation and editing software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
TikTok	Video creation and editing software	✓
Video editing software	Video creation and editing software	✓

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Radio & TV Broadcasting graduates include:

• Filmmaker
• Videotape Editor
• Video Tape Duplicator
• Movie Editor
• Video Production Editor
• News Videotape Editor
• Digital Media Coordinator
• Video Tape Transferrer
• Film Editor
• Optical Effects Layout Person
• Multimedia Specialist
• Electronic News Gathering Editor (ENG Editor)
• News Editor
• Television News Video Editor
• Editor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	41.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	30.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.8%
Some college courses	9.1%
Postsecondary certificate	2.2%
Master’s degree	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Radio & TV Broadcasting?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 65.4% of Radio & TV Broadcasting degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	524	34.6%
Men	991	65.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	647	42.7%
Asian	31	2.0%
Hispanic or Latino	408	26.9%
Black or African American	315	20.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	4	0.3%
Two or More Races	50	3.3%
Race Unknown	31	2.0%
International Students	23	1.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Radio & TV Broadcasting Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Radio & TV Broadcasting graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$20,139
4 years	$28,273
5 years	$32,523

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $32,523 — roughly 61% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Radio & TV Broadcasting Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Radio & TV Broadcasting. 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	1	5

^{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 & TV Broadcasting Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Radio & TV Broadcasting graduates earn a median of $28,273 four years after completion — about 26% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians	10.02
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other	10.0299
Photographic and Film/Video Technology/Technician	10.0201
Recording Arts Technology/Technician	10.0203
Voice Writing Technology/Technician	10.0204
Communications Technology/Technician	10.0105

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.