Journalism major

Journalism: courses, careers, and where to study

Journalism teaches students to report, write, and verify news across print, broadcast, and digital media, suiting people drawn to research, storytelling, and the public interest.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Journalism earn a median $56,278 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,588 to $73,923 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Journalism major covers reporting and interviewing, news and feature writing, editing, media law and ethics, and multimedia production across print, broadcast, and digital formats. Programs typically combine a writing-intensive core with skills work in audio, video, photojournalism, and data journalism, and most include a portfolio-building capstone plus an internship at a newsroom, magazine, broadcaster, or digital outlet.

Most graduates earn a bachelor's degree, the typical entry-level credential for the field. They go on to report and produce news, edit copy, manage social and digital content, and handle communications and public relations across media organizations, nonprofits, government, and corporate teams. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of news analysts, reporters, and journalists to decline about 3.9 percent from 2024 to 2034, so many students broaden their training toward digital, video, and communications work.

The major pairs naturally with Communications, Political Science, or English, and the research, writing, and deadline skills it builds transfer to marketing, content, and advocacy roles beyond the newsroom.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Journalism maps to CIP 09.0401, Journalism, within the COMMUNICATION, JOURNALISM, AND RELATED PROGRAMS family. The official definition:

A program that focuses on the theory and practice of gathering, processing, and delivering news and that prepares individuals to be professional print journalists, news editors, and news managers. Includes instruction in news writing and editing; reporting; photojournalism; layout and graphic design; journalism law and policy; professional standards and ethics; research methods; and journalism history and criticism.

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

What credential Journalism is awarded as

Of the 11,365 Journalism credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 1%, 161 credentials.
  • Associate: 5%, 580 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 83%, 9,390 credentials.
  • Graduate: 11%, 1,234 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 38 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 6 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

  • Reporting, interviewing, and source verification
  • News, feature, and investigative writing
  • Copy editing and AP style
  • Media law, ethics, and First Amendment principles
  • Multimedia production: audio, video, and photojournalism
  • Data journalism and public-records research
  • Digital and social media publishing
  • Internship and portfolio capstone

Typical careers

Typical salary range: News analysts, reporters, and journalists earn a median of $60,280 (BLS, 2024)Ranges 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 Journalism graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Journalism earn a median $56,278 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,588 to $73,923 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Journalism, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$56,278$40,588 to $73,923
Master's$69,034$49,344 to $90,647

Compare Journalism programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Journalism programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Journalism. 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 Journalism, 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 Journalism 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
Writers and Authors$72,27013,400+3.6%Bachelor's degree
Editors$75,2609,800+0.6%Bachelor's degree
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists$60,2804,100-3.9%Bachelor's degree
Communications Teachers, Postsecondary$77,8002,700+2.1%Doctoral or professional degree
Proofreaders and Copy Markers$49,2101,900-0.6%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). 5 of these 5 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 Journalism 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 Journalism major

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

Ask the Journalism 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 Journalism 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 Journalism 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 Journalism 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 Journalism 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 Journalism schools

Where Journalism credentials were awarded

27 states have a distinct enough set of Journalism colleges to be worth its own page.

Journalism by state

Every Journalism program with its own CampusPin page

80 programs in 37 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.

Journalism programs in Alabama, 1 program
Journalism programs in Arizona, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Arkansas, 1 program
Journalism programs in California, 7 programs
Journalism programs in Colorado, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Connecticut, 1 program
Journalism programs in District of Columbia, 1 program
Journalism programs in Florida, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Georgia, 5 programs
Journalism programs in Illinois, 4 programs
Journalism programs in Indiana, 3 programs
Journalism programs in Iowa, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Kansas, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Kentucky, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Maryland, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Massachusetts, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Michigan, 1 program
Journalism programs in Minnesota, 1 program
Journalism programs in Mississippi, 1 program
Journalism programs in Missouri, 1 program
Journalism programs in Nebraska, 1 program
Journalism programs in Nevada, 1 program
Journalism programs in New Jersey, 1 program
Journalism programs in New Mexico, 2 programs
Journalism programs in New York, 7 programs
Journalism programs in Ohio, 3 programs
Journalism programs in Oklahoma, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Oregon, 1 program
Journalism programs in Pennsylvania, 3 programs
Journalism programs in South Carolina, 1 program
Journalism programs in Tennessee, 3 programs
Journalism programs in Texas, 4 programs
Journalism programs in Utah, 1 program
Journalism programs in Virginia, 2 programs
Journalism programs in Washington, 2 programs
Journalism programs in West Virginia, 1 program
Journalism programs in Wisconsin, 2 programs

Related majors

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 Journalism 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 Education & Library careers

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

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Journalism 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 Journalism 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.