Communications major

Communications: courses, careers, and where to study

Communications studies how messages move through media, combining writing, public speaking, and media analysis with hands-on training in PR, journalism, broadcasting, or strategic communication.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Communications earn a median $56,359 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $39,575 to $76,115 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Communications major covers strategic communication, mass communication theory, public relations, journalism, broadcast, digital media, public speaking, and media ethics. Programs typically allow students to specialize: PR, advertising, journalism, organizational communication, or digital/social media. Most programs include a portfolio-building capstone and an internship.

Graduates work across PR, marketing, broadcasting, journalism, content, internal corporate communications, and public affairs. The major pairs naturally with a Marketing or Political Science double major.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Communications maps to CIP 09.0100, Communication, General, within the COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:

A program that focuses on the comprehensive study of communication, and that spans the study of mass communication/media studies, old and new media technologies, social and political applications, and speech communication and rhetoric. Includes instruction in interpersonal, group, organizational, and intercultural communication; theories of communication; critical thinking, argumentation, and persuasion; written communication; printed, electronic, and digital media; rhetorical tradition and criticism; media, society, and culture; consequences and effects of mass media; media social science and criticism; and quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Communications is awarded as

Of the 11,837 Communications credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 7%, 784 credentials.
  • Associate: 4%, 499 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 82%, 9,743 credentials.
  • Graduate: 7%, 811 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 31 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 16 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Public speaking and persuasive communication
  • Mass communication theory
  • Public relations and crisis communication
  • Journalism and reporting fundamentals
  • Digital and social media
  • Media ethics and law
  • Media writing across formats
  • Internship and portfolio capstone

Typical careers

  • PR / Communications Specialist
  • Journalist / Reporter
  • Content Strategist
  • Social Media Manager
  • Internal Communications Manager
  • Marketing Coordinator

Typical salary range: $48,000–$70,000 early-careerRanges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Communications graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Communications earn a median $56,359 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $39,575 to $76,115 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Communications, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$56,359$39,575 to $76,115
Associate's$43,243$26,665 to $60,636
Undergraduate certificate$43,761$26,200 to $62,921
Master's$71,953$51,074 to $99,548
Doctoral$77,931$63,649 to $102,203
Graduate certificate$85,397$66,484 to $116,994

Compare Communications programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Communications programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Communication and Media Studies. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Communications, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Communications by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Public Relations Specialists$69,78027,600+4.8%Bachelor's degree
Writers and Authors$72,27013,400+3.6%Bachelor's degree
Fundraisers$66,49010,200+4.3%Bachelor's degree
Editors$75,2609,800+0.6%Bachelor's degree
Public Relations Managers$138,5206,600+5%Bachelor's degree
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists$60,2804,100-3.9%Bachelor's degree
Fundraising Managers$123,4803,600+4.2%Bachelor's degree
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$77,8002,700+2.1%Doctoral or professional degree
Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys$45,6802,300-5.5%Bachelor's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 9 of these 9 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Communications does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Communications major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Communications program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Communications department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Most Communications programs are covered by their institution's regional accreditation; specialized programmatic accreditation is less common in this field. Confirm any field-specific accreditation or licensure that matters for your goals.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Communications careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Communications program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Communications credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Communications schools

Where Communications credentials were awarded

21 states have a distinct enough set of Communications colleges to be worth its own page.

Communications by state

Every Communications program with its own CampusPin page

326 programs in 44 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Communications programs in Alabama, 7 programs
Communications programs in Arizona, 4 programs
Communications programs in Arkansas, 2 programs
Communications programs in California, 28 programs
Communications programs in Colorado, 8 programs
Communications programs in Connecticut, 9 programs
Communications programs in Delaware, 2 programs
Communications programs in District of Columbia, 1 program
Communications programs in Florida, 10 programs
Communications programs in Georgia, 7 programs
Communications programs in Hawaii, 1 program
Communications programs in Idaho, 2 programs
Communications programs in Illinois, 13 programs
Communications programs in Indiana, 7 programs
Communications programs in Iowa, 3 programs
Communications programs in Kansas, 3 programs
Communications programs in Kentucky, 5 programs
Communications programs in Louisiana, 5 programs
Communications programs in Maine, 2 programs
Communications programs in Maryland, 8 programs
Communications programs in Massachusetts, 12 programs
Communications programs in Michigan, 12 programs
Communications programs in Minnesota, 5 programs
Communications programs in Mississippi, 2 programs
Communications programs in Missouri, 9 programs
Communications programs in Nebraska, 1 program
Communications programs in Nevada, 2 programs
Communications programs in New Hampshire, 2 programs
Communications programs in New Jersey, 10 programs
Communications programs in New York, 35 programs
Communications programs in North Carolina, 15 programs
Communications programs in Ohio, 10 programs
Communications programs in Oklahoma, 1 program
Communications programs in Oregon, 4 programs
Communications programs in Pennsylvania, 13 programs
Communications programs in Rhode Island, 3 programs
Communications programs in South Carolina, 7 programs
Communications programs in South Dakota, 1 program
Communications programs in Tennessee, 7 programs
Communications programs in Texas, 19 programs
Communications programs in Utah, 4 programs
Communications programs in Virginia, 10 programs
Communications programs in Washington, 4 programs
Communications programs in Wisconsin, 11 programs

Related majors

Still deciding between Communications and something else?

These guides put Communications side by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Communications degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Arts, Design & Media careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Management careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Communications degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Communications path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.