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

Is a Radio, Television, and Digital Communication degree worth the debt?

The figures below lead with the Bachelor's, aggregated across 143 colleges (143 of 143 programs report earnings). Other credential levels are in the table further down.

Median pay · 1 yr after

$29,171

Graduates only, early career.$29,363 two years out.

Median federal debt

$22,480

Federal loans only — not private or Parent PLUS.

Debt vs a year's pay

0.76×

76% 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 Radio, Television, and Digital Communication report early-career pay between $26,000 and $32,470 — a spread of $6,470 that depends on the program and who attends it, not the major alone.

25th pct $26,000 median $29,171 75th pct $32,470

By degree level

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

LevelPay · 1yrDebtDebt/pay

Certificate 8 colleges $21,296 $9,500 0.45×

Associate's 5 colleges $18,465 $9,250 0.49×

Bachelor's 143 colleges $29,171 $22,480 0.76×

Master's 13 colleges $45,590 $52,607 1.07×

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.

Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA $67,997 $27,840 debt

Fordham University NY $50,934 $22,250 debt

CUNY City College NY $46,592 —

Miami University-Hamilton OH $44,973 $23,681 debt

Miami University-Middletown OH $44,973 $23,681 debt

Miami University-Oxford OH $44,973 $23,681 debt

New York University NY $44,800 $21,500 debt

Seattle University WA $41,415 $17,463 debt

Lebanon Valley College PA $40,807 $27,000 debt

University of Connecticut CT $40,698 $22,375 debt

University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus CT $40,698 $22,375 debt

University of Connecticut-Avery Point CT $40,698 $22,375 debt

University of Connecticut-Stamford CT $40,698 $22,375 debt

University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus CT $40,698 $22,375 debt

Savannah College of Art and Design GA $39,934 $24,506 debt

What these numbers are — and are not

Every figure here is a median across college programs in Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, 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