Graphic Communications Degrees (2026 stats)
Executive Summary (TL;DR)
Graphic Communications maps to BLS occupations averaging about $92,078, with roughly 1,541,830 workers nationwide in those roles. About 943 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 56%.
Graphic Communications: what the data shows
Common questions about graphic communications degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a graphic communications degree?
A Graphic Communications program is classified under NCES CIP 10.0300 in the Graphic Communications field family (00.10).
IPEDS counted 3,524 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of graphic communications 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)
- Communications Technology/Technician (CIP 00.1001)
How long does it take to get a graphic communications degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 10.0300 in our file:
- 943 Bachelor's (32.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 1,950 Master's (67.1% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 14 Doctorate (0.5% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
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 graphic communications?
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 jobs can you get with a graphic communications degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Graphic Communications 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 graphic communications degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Graphic Communications bachelor's program family: median debt $45,257, median earnings $43,283 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.78.
About 9.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $4,282 and median net price is $9,791.
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 Graphic Communications and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$4,282 Median In-State Public
$36,280 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Graphic Communications majors are, on average, $4,282 for in-state public colleges, and $36,280 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Graphic Communications programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
3,524 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Graphic Communications from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Graphic Communications.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | 48,238 |
| 3 | Lone Star College System | TX | 47,486 |
| 4 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
| 5 | Dallas College | TX | 41,815 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Graphic Communications programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 2 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
| 3 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 4 | College of the Redwoods | CA | $1,147 |
| 5 | Berkeley City College | CA | $1,148 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Graphic Communications programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | Henry Ford College | MI | $576 |
| 3 | Fort Scott Community College | KS | $665 |
| 4 | Cerritos College | CA | $693 |
| 5 | Moorpark College | CA | $742 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Graphic Communications 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 Graphic Communications programs across institutions.
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 00.10 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 10.0300 in the survey year used in our extract (2,907 total across levels below).
- 943 Bachelor's (32.4% of IPEDS total)
- 1,950 Master's (67.1% of IPEDS total)
- 14 Doctorate (0.5% 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 Graphic Communications 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.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Graphic Communications CIP family (22 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Graphic Communications graduate.
- $45,257 median federal loan debt among completers
- $43,283 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.78 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 9.2% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
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, mapped occupations (OEWS)
Occupations mapped to Graphic Communications average $68,017 a year in the BLS OEWS extract.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Graphic Communications majors.
Occupations by Share
1,541,830 2023 Workforce
The number of Graphic Communications graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Graphic Communications by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Graphic Communications in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Graphic Communications.
Age distribution for Graphic Communications degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Gender distribution of Graphic Communications degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.
Racial and ethnic distribution of Graphic Communications degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Graphic Communications are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Graphic Communications.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Graphic Communications field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Graphic Communications majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Graphic Communications 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 Graphic Communications majors.
About
Graphic Communications
In 2023, 3,524 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Graphic Communications.
CIP Code
10.0300 - Graphic Communications
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $45,257 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $43,283, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.78. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Graphic Communications graduate.
About 9.2% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians. That is a program-level mobility signal, not a national underemployment rate.
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 $4,282 in-state at public colleges and $36,280 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.