Communications Technology/Technician Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Communications Technology/Technician maps to BLS occupations averaging about $92,078, with roughly 1,541,830 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,043 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 56%.
Key Statistics
Communications Technology/Technician: what the data shows
Common questions about communications technology/technician degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a communications technology/technician degree?
A Communications Technology/Technician program is classified under NCES CIP 00.1001 in the 00.0010 field family (00.10).
IPEDS counted 1,043 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of communications technology/technician degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 00.10 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (CIP 00.1002)
- Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services, Other (CIP 00.1099)
- Graphic Communications (CIP 00.1003)
How long does it take to get a communications technology/technician degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1001 in our file:
- 51 Bachelor's (23.9% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 162 Master's (76.1% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in communications technology/technician?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Sales & Office Occupations (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a communications technology/technician degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Communications Technology/Technician to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | 1,441,580 | — |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 7,600 | $30,460 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | 11,960 | $49,130 |
| Marketing Managers | 384,980 | $161,030 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | 99,070 | $46,370 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a communications technology/technician degree worth it?
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $3,861 and median net price is $9,063.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Communications Technology/Technician and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$3,861 Median In-State Public
$26,417 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Communications Technology/Technician majors are, on average, $3,861 for in-state public colleges, and $26,417 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Communications Technology/Technician programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
1,043 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Communications Technology/Technician from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Communications Technology/Technician.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michigan State University | MI | 40,243 |
| 2 | Valencia College | FL | 35,125 |
| 3 | Miami Dade College | FL | 35,001 |
| 4 | Connecticut State Community College | CT | 32,292 |
| 5 | New York University | NY | 29,430 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Communications Technology/Technician programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lee College | TX | $2,166 |
| 2 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $2,250 |
| 3 | Pima Community College | AZ | $2,370 |
| 4 | Gulf Coast State College | FL | $2,370 |
| 5 | Valencia College | FL | $2,474 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Communications Technology/Technician programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulf Coast State College | FL | $2,339 |
| 2 | Fort Peck Community College | MT | $2,449 |
| 3 | Florida State College at Jacksonville | FL | $2,760 |
| 4 | Florida Gateway College | FL | $2,915 |
| 5 | Seminole State College of Florida | FL | $3,119 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Communications Technology/Technician programs.
Graduation Rates
55.81% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
56.11% Average Graduation Rate
119 Institutions Reporting
44.53% - 69.77% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Communications Technology/Technician programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.10 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians CIP 00.1002
- Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services, Other CIP 00.1099
- Graphic Communications CIP 00.1003
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.1001 in the survey year used in our extract (213 total across levels below).
- 51 Bachelor's (23.9% of IPEDS total)
- 162 Master's (76.1% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $92,078. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Communications Technology/Technician graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Sales & Office Occupations | $62,097 | 1,441,580 |
| Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | $41,322 | 7,600 |
| Technical Writers | $110,175 | 55,530 |
| Credit Authorizers, Checkers, and Clerks | $53,927 | 11,960 |
| Marketing Managers | $209,972 | 384,980 |
| Sales and Related Workers, All Other | $68,570 | 99,070 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$68,017 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Communications Technology/Technician majors is $68,017.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Communications Technology/Technician majors.
Occupations by Share
1,541,830 2023 Workforce
The number of Communications Technology/Technician graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Communications Technology/Technician by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Communications Technology/Technician in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Communications Technology/Technician.
Age distribution for Communications Technology/Technician degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Communications Technology/Technician degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Communications Technology/Technician degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Communications Technology/Technician are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Communications Technology/Technician.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Communications Technology/Technician field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Communications Technology/Technician majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Communications Technology/Technician majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Communications Technology/Technician majors.
About
Communications Technology/Technician
In 2023, 1,043 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Communications Technology/Technician.
CIP Code
00.1001 - Communications Technology/Technician
What the data shows
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $92,078. The largest mapped role by headcount is Sales & Office Occupations (1,441,580 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $3,861 in-state at public colleges and $26,417 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.