Journalism Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Journalism maps to BLS occupations averaging about $103,968, with roughly 573,690 workers nationwide in those roles. About 8,071 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 58%.
Key Statistics
Journalism: what the data shows
Common questions about journalism degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a journalism degree?
A Journalism program is classified under NCES CIP 09.0401 in the Journalism field family (09.04).
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
IPEDS counted 9,378 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of journalism degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 09.04 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Broadcast Journalism (CIP 09.0402)
- Business and Economic Journalism (CIP 09.0405)
- Cultural Journalism (CIP 09.0406)
- Photojournalism (CIP 09.0404)
- Science/Health/Environmental Journalism (CIP 09.0407)
How long does it take to get a journalism degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 09.0401 in our file:
- 492 Associate (5.3% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 8,071 Bachelor's (87.0% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 708 Master's (7.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 9 Doctorate (0.1% 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 journalism?
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 News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists (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%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 09.0401, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a journalism degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Journalism 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 |
|---|---|---|
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | 41,550 | $60,280 |
| Editors | 95,480 | $75,260 |
| Public Relations Specialists | 280,590 | $69,780 |
| Writers and Authors | 47,800 | $72,270 |
| Technical Writers | 55,530 | $91,670 |
| Film and Video Editors | 28,860 | $70,980 |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | 23,880 | $45,680 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a journalism degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Journalism bachelor's program family: median debt $38,535, median earnings $56,278 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.11.
About 3.7% 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 $8,472 and median net price is $16,511.
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 Journalism and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,472 Median In-State Public
$40,290 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Journalism majors are, on average, $8,472 for in-state public colleges, and $40,290 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Journalism programs.
Institutions awarding the most Journalism degrees
| # | Institution | State | Completions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Missouri-Columbia | MO | 484 |
| 2 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | OK | 237 |
| 3 | University of North Texas | TX | 205 |
| 4 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | WI | 203 |
| 5 | University of Kansas | KS | 190 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | PA | 183 |
| 7 | University of Georgia | GA | 165 |
| 8 | The University of Texas at Austin | TX | 163 |
| 9 | West Virginia University | WV | 156 |
| 10 | University of Southern California | CA | 140 |
IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), all award levels for this CIP in our extract.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
9,378 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Journalism from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Journalism.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,146 |
| 4 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Journalism programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 2 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
| 3 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 4 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 5 | San Diego Mesa College | CA | $1,146 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Journalism programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 2 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
| 3 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 4 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 5 | Imperial Valley College | CA | $1,115 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Journalism programs.
Graduation Rates
58.09% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
57.64% Average Graduation Rate
529 Institutions Reporting
46.65% - 69.61% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Journalism programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Journalism is in CA (831 completions). That state represents about 10.3% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is MO (0.67% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 831 | 10.3% | 0.18% |
| TX | 621 | 7.7% | 0.21% |
| GA | 490 | 6.1% | 0.43% |
| MO | 478 | 5.9% | 0.67% |
| NY | 349 | 4.3% | 0.13% |
| MA | 322 | 4.0% | 0.25% |
| PA | 310 | 3.8% | 0.18% |
| OH | 291 | 3.6% | 0.21% |
| TN | 291 | 3.6% | 0.39% |
| FL | 288 | 3.6% | 0.13% |
| WI | 278 | 3.4% | 0.37% |
| IL | 248 | 3.1% | 0.18% |
| CO | 247 | 3.1% | 0.34% |
| KS | 230 | 2.9% | 0.62% |
| IN | 205 | 2.5% | 0.20% |
| OK | 191 | 2.4% | 0.46% |
| NJ | 189 | 2.3% | 0.22% |
| WV | 171 | 2.1% | 0.48% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 09.04 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Broadcast Journalism CIP 09.0402
- Business and Economic Journalism CIP 09.0405
- Cultural Journalism CIP 09.0406
- Photojournalism CIP 09.0404
- Science/Health/Environmental Journalism CIP 09.0407
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 09.0401 in the survey year used in our extract (9,280 total across levels below).
- 492 Associate (5.3% of IPEDS total)
- 8,071 Bachelor's (87.0% of IPEDS total)
- 708 Master's (7.6% of IPEDS total)
- 9 Doctorate (0.1% 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 $103,968. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Journalism graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | $122,666 | 41,550 |
| Editors | $106,703 | 95,480 |
| Public Relations Specialists | $95,096 | 280,590 |
| Writers and Authors | $99,513 | 47,800 |
| Technical Writers | $110,175 | 55,530 |
| Film and Video Editors | $101,742 | 28,860 |
| Broadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys | $161,914 | 23,880 |
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 Journalism CIP family (77 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Journalism graduate.
- $38,535 median federal loan debt among completers
- $56,278 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.11 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.7% 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
$103,968 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Journalism majors is $103,968.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Journalism majors.
Occupations by Share
573,690 2023 Workforce
The number of Journalism graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Journalism by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Journalism in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Journalism.
Age distribution for Journalism degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
8,071 Total Degrees Awarded
2,822 Male (34.96%)
5,249 Female (65.04%)
Gender distribution of Journalism degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
4,979 White (61.69%)
1,241 Hispanic or Latino (15.38%)
841 Black or African American (10.42%)
368 Two or More Races (4.56%)
287 Asian (3.56%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Journalism degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Journalism are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Journalism.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Journalism field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Journalism majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Journalism 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 Journalism majors.
About
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
In 2023, 9,378 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Journalism.
CIP Code
09.0401 - Journalism
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $38,535 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $56,278, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.11. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Journalism graduate.
Women earned 64.3% of 9,378 Journalism completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $103,968. The largest mapped role by headcount is News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists (41,550 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,472 in-state at public colleges and $40,290 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.