Political Communication Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Political Communication maps to BLS occupations averaging about $154,055, with roughly 127,890 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $9,998; common paths include Political Scientists and Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary.
Key Statistics
Political Communication: what the data shows
Common questions about political communication degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a political communication degree?
A Political Communication program is classified under NCES CIP 09.0904 in the Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication field family (09.09).
A program that focuses on human and media communication in the political process and that prepares individuals to function as members of political and public affairs organizations, political campaign staffs, and related government and media entities. Includes instruction in media effects, political speaking and debating, political advertising and marketing, image management, political journalism, opinion polling, and aspects of print and broadcast media related to the production and distribution of media messages in political settings
IPEDS counted 67 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of political communication degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 09.09 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Advertising (CIP 09.0903)
- Communication Management and Strategic Communications (CIP 09.0909)
- Health Communication (CIP 09.0905)
- International and Intercultural Communication (CIP 09.0907)
- Organizational Communication, General (CIP 09.0901)
- Public Relations (CIP 09.0902)
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (CIP 09.0902)
- Sports Communication (CIP 09.0906)
- Technical and Scientific Communication (CIP 09.0908)
How long does it take to get a political communication degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 09.0904 in our file:
- 67 Bachelor's (44.7% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 83 Master's (55.3% 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 degree do you need?
For Political Scientists (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 political communication degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Political Communication 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Political Scientists | 5,950 | $139,380 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 17,170 | $94,680 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | 75,710 | $155,020 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | 12,460 | $65,480 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a political communication degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication bachelor's program family: median debt $44,806, median earnings $63,560 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.12.
About 3.0% 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 $9,998 and median net price is $19,376.
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 Political Communication and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,998 Median In-State Public
$39,275 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Political Communication majors are, on average, $9,998 for in-state public colleges, and $39,275 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Political Communication programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Political Communication from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Political Communication.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Political Communication programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Irvine Valley College | CA | $1,156 |
| 2 | Santa Monica College | CA | $1,156 |
| 3 | Santa Monica College | CA | $1,156 |
| 4 | Santiago Canyon College | CA | $1,164 |
| 5 | Los Angeles Harbor College | CA | $1,238 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Political Communication programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macomb Community College | MI | $1,618 |
| 2 | Macomb Community College | MI | $1,618 |
| 3 | West Virginia University at Parkersburg | WV | $1,807 |
| 4 | Irvine Valley College | CA | $2,090 |
| 5 | Santiago Canyon College | CA | $2,129 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Political Communication programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Political Communication 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 Political Communication is in DC (41 completions). That state represents about 61.2% 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 DC (0.19% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC | 41 | 61.2% | 0.19% |
| MA | 20 | 29.9% | 0.02% |
| NY | 5 | 7.5% | 0.00% |
| FL | 1 | 1.5% | 0.00% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 09.09 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Advertising CIP 09.0903
- Communication Management and Strategic Communications CIP 09.0909
- Health Communication CIP 09.0905
- International and Intercultural Communication CIP 09.0907
- Organizational Communication, General CIP 09.0901
- Public Relations CIP 09.0902
- Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication CIP 09.0902
- Sports Communication CIP 09.0906
- Technical and Scientific Communication CIP 09.0908
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 09.0904 in the survey year used in our extract (150 total across levels below).
- 67 Bachelor's (44.7% of IPEDS total)
- 83 Master's (55.3% 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 $154,055. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Political Communication graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Political Scientists | $135,834 | 5,950 |
| Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary | $133,759 | 17,170 |
| Computer Hardware Engineers | $188,333 | 75,710 |
| Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers | $62,247 | 12,460 |
| Home Health Aides | — | — |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,151 | 16,600 |
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 Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication CIP family (86 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Political Communication graduate.
- $44,806 median federal loan debt among completers
- $63,560 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.12 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.0% 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
$154,055 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Political Communication majors is $154,055.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Political Communication majors.
Occupations by Share
127,890 2023 Workforce
The number of Political Communication graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Political Communication by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Political Communication in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Political Communication.
Age distribution for Political Communication degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
67 Total Degrees Awarded
23 Male (34.33%)
44 Female (65.67%)
Gender distribution of Political Communication degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
47 White (70.15%)
7 Asian (10.45%)
6 Hispanic or Latino (8.96%)
3 Two or More Races (4.48%)
2 Black or African American (2.99%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Political Communication degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Political Communication are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Political Communication.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Political Communication field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Political Communication majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Political Communication 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 Political Communication majors.
About
A program that focuses on human and media communication in the political process and that prepares individuals to function as members of political and public affairs organizations, political campaign staffs, and related government and media entities. Includes instruction in media effects, political speaking and debating, political advertising and marketing, image management, political journalism, opinion polling, and aspects of print and broadcast media related to the production and distribution of media messages in political settings
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Political Communication.
CIP Code
09.0904 - Political Communication
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $44,806 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $63,560, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.12. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Political Communication graduate.
Women earned 62.6% of 211 Political Communication completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $154,055. The largest mapped role by headcount is Political Scientists (5,950 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,998 in-state at public colleges and $39,275 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.