Radio, TV & Digital Communication

Types of Degrees Radio, TV & Digital Communication Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many radio, television and digital communication graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	2,343
Graduate Certificate	156
Doctor’s Degree	63

What Radio, TV & Digital Communication Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to digital communication 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 Digital Communication Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these 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.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• 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.
• 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.

Skills for Digital Communication Majors

digital communication majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Digital Communication Majors

As a digital communication major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

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

What Can You Do With a Radio, TV & Digital Communication Major?

People with a digital communication degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Communications Professors	10.0%	$68,910
Compliance Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio	12.2%	$71,680
Film and Video Editors	17.0%	$62,650
Investment Fund Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Media and Communication Workers	10.0%	$48,330
Producers	12.2%	$71,680
Program Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Regulatory Affairs Managers	8.0%	$107,480
Talent Directors	12.2%	$71,680
Technical Directors/Managers	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Radio, TV & Digital Communication?

This major is dominated by women with about 69% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	118
Black or African American	241
Hispanic or Latino	221
White	898
International Students	734
Other Races/Ethnicities	131

Geographic Diversity

Digital Communication appeals to people across the globe. About 31.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• China
• South Korea
• India
• Mexico
• Canada

How Much Do Radio, TV & Digital Communication Majors Make?

Master’s Degree Starting Salary

The median early-career salary of radio, television and digital communication students with a master’s degree is $45,590 a year according to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $41,795 (25th percentile) and $51,957 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to digital communication.

Salaries According to BLS

Digital Communication majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $52,430 to $91,990 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

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 Radio, TV & Digital Communication

Some careers associated with digital communication require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

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

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	1.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	7.9%
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)	3.5%
Some College Courses	6.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	6.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	54.3%
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.	0.8%
Master’s Degree	15.7%
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.	0.6%
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.	2.3%
Doctoral Degree	1.3%
Post-Doctoral Training	0.8%

Online Radio, TV & Digital Communication Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 604 schools offered some type of radio, television and digital communication 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)	86	5
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	156	13
Bachelor’s Degree	38	13
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	102	14
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	12	1
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Radio, TV & Digital Communication Worth It?

The median salary for a digital communication grad is $86,830 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 118% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $938,600 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Radio, TV & Digital Communication

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

Major	Number of Grads
Communication & Media Studies	5,059
Public Relations & Advertising	2,828
Journalism	1,238
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 {} under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.