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Communication Sciences

Instructional content for this group of programs is defined in codes 51.0201 - 51.0299.

Types of Degrees Communication Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Communication Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	65
Associate’s Degree	224
Bachelor’s Degree	10,786
Master’s Degree	11,200
Doctor’s Degree	975

What Communication Sciences Majors Need to Know

Programs in Communication Sciences emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Communication Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Communication Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Communication Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Communication Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Communication Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—
InteractElsevier Netter’s 3D Interactive Anatomy	Medical software	—
iParadigms Turnitin	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Communication Sciences graduates include:

• Pathology Teacher
• Physical Therapy Teacher
• Activity Therapy Teacher
• Veterinary Science Teacher
• Surgical Aides Teacher
• Educational Therapy Teacher
• Teacher
• Coding Educator
• Hearing Therapy Teacher
• Dental Assistant Teacher
• Speech Therapy Teacher
• Public Health Professor
• Clinical Laboratory Service Teacher
• Chiropractic Teacher
• Gynecology Teacher

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	42.2%
Master’s degree	33.1%
Post-doctoral training	11.9%
Bachelor’s degree	6.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Postsecondary certificate	1.6%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Communication Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 95.8% of Communication Sciences degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	22,266	95.8%
Men	984	4.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	15,116	65.0%
Asian	1,096	4.7%
Hispanic or Latino	4,151	17.9%
Black or African American	1,057	4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	77	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	23	0.1%
Two or More Races	682	2.9%
Race Unknown	750	3.2%
International Students	298	1.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Communication Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Communication Sciences 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	$53,106
4 years	$57,878
5 years	$63,177

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,177 — roughly 19% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Communication Sciences Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Communication Sciences. 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
Associate’s	6	3
Bachelor’s	13	15
Master’s	18	28
Doctoral (Research)	1	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 Communication Sciences Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Communication Sciences graduates earn a median of $57,878 four years after completion — roughly 52% 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
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions	20,443

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.