Free tool · federal data
What does this major pay at different colleges?
Pick a major, a degree level and a state. You get what graduates of each college's program earned four years after graduating and what they borrowed in federal loans, from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, with the national median for the same program as the yardstick.
Your results
Communications, master's programs nationwide
Nationally, master's graduates in Communications earn a median $71,953 four years after graduating. Among 26 programs with federal earnings data, Columbia University in the City of New York (NY) graduates had the highest median, $120,003 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).
- Programs with data
- 26
- Highest median
- $120,003
- National median
- $71,953
| College | State | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | vs national median | Debt borrowed at this college (median) | Add to the side-by-side comparison |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York | NY | $120,003 | +67% | $73,250 | Compare |
| Northwestern University | IL | $116,101 | +61% | $55,813 | |
| Johns Hopkins University | MD | $107,409 | +49% | $39,737 | Compare |
| American University | DC | $94,424 | +31% | $51,250 | Compare |
| University of Southern California | CA | $91,873 | +28% | $70,426 | |
| University of FloridaFigure covers 2 campuses | FL | $86,823 | +21% | $29,671 | Compare |
| Washington State University | WA | $86,450 | +20% | $26,714 | Compare |
| University of Denver | CO | $86,020 | +20% | $47,481 | Compare |
| Purdue University-Main Campus | IN | $84,920 | +18% | $34,280 | Compare |
| San Diego State University | CA | $84,280 | +17% | — | |
| Lasell University | MA | $80,449 | +12% | $30,634 | |
| Regent University | VA | $76,612 | +6% | $45,435 | |
| Queens University of Charlotte | NC | $76,244 | +6% | $48,500 | Compare |
| Liberty University | VA | $75,900 | +5% | $31,512 | |
| The New School | NY | $73,507 | about the same | $53,304 | |
| Florida International University | FL | $71,218 | about the same | $34,653 | |
| Texas State University | TX | $70,534 | about the same | $20,500 | |
| Austin Peay State University | TN | $68,264 | −5% | — | |
| Arizona State University Campus ImmersionFigure covers 2 campuses | AZ | $68,073 | −5% | $26,250 | |
| California State University-Fullerton | CA | $66,353 | −8% | $20,343 | |
| Lindenwood University | MO | $65,942 | −8% | $30,750 | |
| Illinois State University | IL | $62,006 | −14% | $19,775 | |
| Texas Tech University | TX | $60,860 | −15% | $24,641 | |
| Boston University | MA | $59,519 | −17% | $77,420 | |
| Troy University | AL | $54,590 | −24% | $31,500 |
The 25 highest of 26 programs. Ordered by median earnings four years after graduating: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality.
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Same major, other degree levels: Bachelor's · Associate's · Undergraduate certificate · Doctoral · Graduate certificate
What these numbers are
Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Only programs with at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort are listed, and a multi-state system whose figure pools campuses in several states is left out of state lists. Median earnings of graduates who received federal student aid, worked, and were not enrolled in school; debt is the median federal loans borrowed at this college by graduates who borrowed (Direct Subsidized, Unsubsidized and Grad PLUS; not Parent PLUS, private loans or interest). Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education. Federal program group: Communication and Media Studies. Earnings reflect who enrolls and where graduates work as well as the program itself.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field-of-study data, 10 June 2026. Download every program (CSV).