---
title: Is an Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?
cip: 1002
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is an Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **22** colleges (22 of 22 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $25,953 ($26,114 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $27,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.09× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $23,828–$27,007 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $21,386 | $9,500 | 0.49× | 8 | 8/8 |
| Associate's | $22,210 | $16,056 | 0.74× | 18 | 18/18 |
| Bachelor's | $25,953 | $27,000 | 1.09× | 22 | 22/22 |

## Where an Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New England Institute of Technology (RI) | $33,865 | $27,083 |
| Bowie State University (MD) | $31,607 | $22,750 |
| Husson University (ME) | $29,532 | $27,000 |
| SAE Expression College | $27,865 | $37,500 |
| Webster University (MO) | $27,336 | — |
| Belmont University (TN) | $27,055 | $22,500 |
| American University (DC) | $26,863 | $19,085 |
| Ferris State University (MI) | $26,852 | $21,997 |
| The Art Institute of Atlanta | $26,808 | $39,063 |
| SUNY Buffalo State University (NY) | $26,612 | $18,375 |
| AI Miami International University of Art and Design | $25,953 | $46,997 |
| Miami International University of Art & Design-Art Institute Dallas | $25,953 | $46,997 |
| Long Island University (NY) | $25,436 | — |
| St. John's University-New York (NY) | $24,949 | $27,000 |
| Columbia College Chicago (IL) | $23,934 | $26,250 |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/audiovisual-communications-technologies-technicians.jsonld` · `/education/fields/audiovisual-communications-technologies-technicians.json`