Publishing

Types of Degrees Publishing Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many publishing graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.

What Publishing Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to publishing were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Publishing Majors

Publishing majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• 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.
• 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.
• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Skills for Publishing Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to publishing:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• 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.

Abilities for Publishing Majors

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

• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Publishing?

The major attracts more women than men. About 90% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	9
Black or African American	15
Hispanic or Latino	18
White	144
International Students	27
Other Races/Ethnicities	16

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Publishing, too. About 11.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• Canada
• India
• Brazil
• Mexico

How Much Do Publishing Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of publishing students with a master’s degree is $42,050 a year according to 2017-2018 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $39,600 (25th percentile) and $46,100 (75th percentile).

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

Salaries According to BLS

The median salary for someone in a career related to publishing is $69,480. This median refers to 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.

Median Salary for a Publishing Major  69,480

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Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )

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Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )

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Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )

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Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Publishing

Some degrees associated with publishing may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to publishing have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Bachelor’s Degree	80.4%
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.	1.3%
Master’s Degree	17.0%
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.	1.3%

Online Publishing Programs

In 2018-2019, 23 schools offered a publishing program of some type. 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)	4	1
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	1
Post-Baccalaureate	4	1
Master’s Degree	9	2
Post-Master’s	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Publishing Worth It?

The median salary for a publishing 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 Publishing

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

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	68,301
Public Relations & Advertising	20,156
Radio, Television & Digital Communication	16,150
Journalism	15,466
Communication & Journalism (Other)	1,784

References

• 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 Harris & Ewing under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.