Journalism

Types of Degrees Journalism Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many journalism graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	1,181
Graduate Certificate	41
Doctor’s Degree	16

What Journalism Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, journalism majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Journalism Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in journalism should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Journalism Majors

A major in journalism prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Abilities for Journalism Majors

As you progress with your journalism degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Journalism Major?

People with a journalism degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Copy Writers	7.6%	$62,170
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Journalism?

The major attracts more women than men. About 69% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of journalism majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	40
Black or African American	170
Hispanic or Latino	132
White	603
International Students	149
Other Races/Ethnicities	87

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Journalism. About 12.6% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• India
• Canada
• United Kingdom

How Much Do Journalism Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that journalism students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $43,111 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $37,980 (25th percentile) and $45,049 (75th percentile).

We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to journalism so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Journalism majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $51,630 to $78,090 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Journalism

Some careers associated with journalism require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

Find out what the typical degree level is for journalism careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	3.5%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.9%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.2%
Some College Courses	11.0%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.3%
Bachelor’s Degree	52.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.2%
Master’s Degree	11.8%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.2%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	0.5%
Doctoral Degree	1.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	1.2%

Online Journalism Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 521 schools offered some type of journalism program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	25	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	129	5
Bachelor’s Degree	14	3
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	90	9
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	6	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Journalism Worth It?

The median salary for a journalism grad is $69,480 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 74% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $591,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Journalism

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to journalism.

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	5,059
Public Relations & Advertising	2,828
Radio, Television & Digital Communication	2,562
Communication & Journalism (Other)	341
Publishing	214

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Jfurrer under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.