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Communications Technician

Types of Degrees Communications Technician Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Communications Technician may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	51
Associate’s Degree	162
Bachelor’s Degree	297
Master’s Degree	520

What Communications Technician Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Communications Technician develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Communications Technician graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Engineering and Technology — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Telecommunications — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Communications Technician 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 3.6 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.2 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Communications Technician careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Near Vision — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Fluency of Ideas — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Communications Technician graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Communications Technician professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Communications Technician graduates include:

• Audio Operator
• Audio Engineer
• Digital Media Coordinator
• Cue Selector
• Online Editor
• Film Editor
• Video Tape Transferrer
• Contract Video Editor
• Content Creator
• News Editor
• Tape Editor
• Filmmaker
• Video Content Creator
• Electronic News Gathering Editor (ENG Editor)
• Movie Editor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	37.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	22.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	19.0%
Postsecondary certificate	9.7%
Some college courses	7.9%
First professional degree	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.6%
Master’s degree	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Communications Technician?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 69.8% of Communications Technician degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	315	30.2%
Men	728	69.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	475	45.5%
Asian	24	2.3%
Hispanic or Latino	210	20.1%
Black or African American	229	22.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.1%
Two or More Races	62	5.9%
Race Unknown	25	2.4%
International Students	11	1.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Communications Technician Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Communications Technician 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	$19,605
4 years	$28,474
5 years	$36,156

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $36,156 — roughly 84% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Communications Technician Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for Communications Technician. 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	1
Bachelor’s	1	3
Master’s	1	2

^{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 Communications Technician Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Communications Technician graduates earn a median of $28,474 four years after completion — about 25% 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
Communications Technologies/Technicians	10.01
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other	10.0299
Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician	10.0202
Recording Arts Technology/Technician	10.0203

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.