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Publishing

Types of Degrees Publishing Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Publishing may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	84
Master’s Degree	253

What Publishing Majors Need to Know

Studies in Publishing develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Publishing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Publishing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Publishing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Publishing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Publishing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Publishing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Extensible hypertext markup language XHTML	Web platform development software	—
Content management systems CMS	Web page creation and editing software	✓
Cascading style sheets CSS	Web platform development software	—
Adobe FrameMaker	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
InScribe	Computer based training software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Hypertext markup language HTML	Web platform development software	✓
WordPress	Web page creation and editing software	—
WhiteSmoke	Word processing software	—
File transfer protocol FTP software	Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Publishing graduates include:

• Newspaper Editor
• Communications Editor
• Web Editor
• Publications Editor
• Dictionary Editor
• Play Reader
• Editor
• Online Content Editor
• Script Reader
• Make Up Editor
• Rewrite Editor
• Business Editor
• Reader
• Copy Reader
• Digital Editor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Publishing graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	80.4%
Master’s degree	17.0%
Post-master’s certificate	1.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Publishing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.6% of Publishing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	298	87.6%
Men	42	12.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Publishing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	206	60.6%
Asian	12	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	49	14.4%
Black or African American	19	5.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	22	6.5%
Race Unknown	15	4.4%
International Students	16	4.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Publishing Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Publishing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,218
4 years	$59,025
5 years	$65,201

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $65,201 — roughly 54% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Publishing Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Publishing. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	3	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Publishing Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Publishing graduates earn a median of $59,025 four years after completion — roughly 55% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Communication Journalism Media	105,413
Communication, General	55,210
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	19,636
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication	17,813
Journalism	11,334
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other	1,080
COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.