College Scorecard · field of study · all U.S. colleges

Is a Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 25 colleges (25 of 25 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$34,758

Graduates only, early career.$35,594 two years out.

Median federal debt

$24,250

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.69×

69% of a first year's earnings.

Typical debt is under a year's early-career pay.

The college you pick moves this a lot

The middle 50% of Bachelor's programs in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other report early-career pay between $27,902 and $37,747 — a spread of $9,845 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $27,902 median $34,758 75th pct $37,747

By degree level

Each level is a separate decision — more schooling usually means more pay and more debt.

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Bachelor's 25 colleges $34,758 $24,250 0.69×

Master's 7 colleges $42,106 $53,940 0.91×

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

The 15 programs with the highest reported pay one year after completion. This reflects who enrolls and where they live as much as the program itself — it is not a causal quality ranking.

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN $46,969 $20,153 debt

Drexel University PA $43,747 —

Wisconsin Lutheran College WI $40,758 —

High Point University NC $40,065 $23,250 debt

California Lutheran University CA $38,687 $24,250 debt

Grand Valley State University MI $38,420 $24,250 debt

University of Nebraska at Omaha NE $37,747 $19,550 debt

University of St Thomas MN $36,765 —

Farmingdale State College NY $35,922 $12,882 debt

West Virginia University WV $35,526 $24,478 debt

Seton Hall University NJ $35,211 —

Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Berks PA $34,758 $25,431 debt

Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus PA $34,758 $25,431 debt

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus PA $34,758 $25,431 debt

Ohio State University-Main Campus OH $33,775 $22,375 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other, from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. It is not a prediction of what you would earn (your college, effort, and local job market vary enormously — see the spread above), not lifetime earnings (it is measured 1–2 years after completion, early career), not proof the major caused the outcome (who enters a field differs by field — selection, not causation), and not a "best majors" ranking: earnings are one dimension of worth, not the whole of it. Teaching and social work pay far less than the fields at the top of this list and matter enormously. Earnings cover federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report.

Also available: structured data (JSON-LD) · plain text · JSON. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release). · explore this field on the official Scorecard