Communications

Contains Stem Majors

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Total Degrees​
Awarded in 2017

120,788

growing 2.32%

Median In-State​
Public Tuition

$7,191

growing 5.04%

Median Out-of-State​
Private Tuition

$30,965

growing 3.46%

Average Wage

$72,366

growing 2.84%

People in Workforce

2.27M

growing 5.17%

Average Employee Age

40.1

growing 0.192%

About

Institutions

Employment

Diversity

Skills

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Communications degree recipients are New York, NY, Los Angeles, CA, and Boston, MA. The locations with a relatively high number of Communications degree recipients are Valley View, OH, Del City, OK, and Whitehall, OH. The most common degree awarded to students studying Communications is a bachelors degree.

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Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Communications and the types of students that study this field. The University of Texas at Austin awards the most degrees in Communications in the US, but American Broadcasting School-Online Program and American Broadcasting School-Oklahoma City have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Communications.

Tuition costs for Communications majors are, on average, $7,191 for in-state public colleges, and $30,965 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Communications programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (743 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (77,286 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Communications

  1. The University of Texas at Austin

  2. Michigan State University

  3. California State University-Fullerton

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Communications, is Public, 4-year or above (77,286 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Communications programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$7,191

Median In-State Public

$30,965

Median Out of State Private

The University of Texas at Austin has the most Communications degree recipients, with 1,282 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Communications.

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Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

  1. American Broadcasting School-Online Program

    100%

  2. American Broadcasting School-Oklahoma City

    100%

  3. Miami Media School

    100%

Out of all institutions that offer Communications programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, American Broadcasting School-Online Program and American Broadcasting School-Oklahoma City have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Communications, with 100% and 100%, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Communications

  1. Los Angeles County, CA

  2. New York County, NY

  3. Cook County, IL

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Communications by year.

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Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

  1. Steuben County, IN

  2. Carter County, OK

  3. Franklin County, VA

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Communications.

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Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Communications graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Communications majors is $72,366 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Marketing managers.

The industry that employs the most Communications majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Footwear manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$72,366

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,212

2.84%

1 Year Growth

± 2.33%

The average salary for Communications majors is $72,366 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Marketing managers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Communications majors.

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Highest Paying Locations

Highest Paying Pumas

  1. Fort Worth City (Southeast)South of I-20 PUMA, TX

  2. Calabasas, Agoura Hills, Malibu & Westlake Village Cities PUMA, CA

  3. Kent County (Southeast) PUMA, MI

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Communications majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Communications majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Occupations

Most Common

The most common occupations Communications majors, by number of employees, are Other managers, Elementary & middle school teachers, and Marketing managers.

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Most Specialized

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Communications majors working as News analysts, reporters, and journalists, Public relations specialists, and Advertising & promotions managers.

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Highest Paid

The highest paid occupations by median income for Communications majors are Dentists, Magnetic resonance imaging technologists, and Sales engineers.

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Occupations by Share

2.27M

2018 Workforce

± 36,709

5.17%

1 Year Growth

± 2.2%

The number of Communications graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.17%, from 2.16M in 2017 to 2.27M in 2018.

The largest single share of Communications graduates go on to work as Other managers (4.58%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Communications by share of the total number of graduates.

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Industries

Most Common

The most common industries that employ Communications majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Advertising, public relations & related services.

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Highest Paid

The highest paying industries of Communications majors, by average wage, are Footwear manufacturing, Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, and Sugar & confectionery products.

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Industries by Share

2.27M

2018 Workforce

± 36,709

5.17%

1 Year Growth

± 2.2%

The number of Communications graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 5.17%, from 2.16M in 2017 to 2.27M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Communications graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Communications.

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Specialty Locations

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Communications majors

  1. West Hollywood & Beverly Hills Cities PUMA, CA

  2. Carr 2-Carr 111 PUMA, PR

  3. Carr 2-Carr 100 PUMA, PR

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Communications majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Communications majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Communications in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Communications is 40.1, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Communications degrees, and White students earn the majority (69,316) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

40.1

Average Age in 2018

± 0.198 Years

0.192%

1 Year Change

± 0.706%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Communications. The most common ages of employees with this major are 26 and 31 years old, which represent 3.64% and 3.42% of the population, respectively.

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Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Communications are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

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Workforce Degrees

The most common degree types held by the working population in Communications are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (64.9%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Communications.

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Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

  1. White

    69,316 degrees awarded

  2. Hispanic or Latino

    17,162 degrees awarded

  3. Black or African American

    14,105 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Communications for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

  1. White Female

    38,620 degrees awarded

  2. White Male

    20,542 degrees awarded

  3. Hispanic or Latino Female

    8,821 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Communications. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

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Global Diversity

Most Common Countries of Origin

  1. Mexico

    14,862 degree recipients

  2. Philippines

    13,348 degree recipients

  3. India

    10,298 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

  1. Venezuela

    3.89 times more than expected

  2. Australia

    3.87 times more than expected

  3. Denmark

    3.74 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Venezuela that hold Communications degrees (3.89 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (14,862 degree recipients).

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Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Communications field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Communications majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Communications majors need more than the average amount of Management of Financial Resources, Negotiation, and Instructing.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Communications majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Management of Financial Resources is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and Instructing are the three most important skills for people in the field.

Radar Distribution

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Bar Chart

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