---
title: Is a Publishing degree worth the debt?
cip: 0910
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 a Publishing degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Master's**, across **5** colleges (5 of 5 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $42,110 ($42,496 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $41,000 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.07× a first year's pay


**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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Master's | $42,110 | $41,000 | 1.07× | 5 | 5/5 |

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

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| George Washington University (DC) | $55,535 | $40,899 |
| Pace University (NY) | $45,038 | $36,946 |
| New York University (NY) | $42,110 | $119,934 |
| Emerson College (MA) | $41,317 | $44,360 |
| Portland State University (OR) | $31,328 | $41,000 |

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/publishing.jsonld` · `/education/fields/publishing.json`