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Major · Communication & Journalism

A catchall communication-and-journalism credential where the syllabus matters more than the CIP

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (CIP 09.9999) is the IPEDS catchall code for communication and journalism programs that don’t fit the named codes in the 09 family. About 660 students complete it each year across 72 colleges, with bachelor’s graduates earning around $59,313 in five-year tracked wages.

Schools offering
72
Annual completions
660
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$58k

About this major

Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other (CIP 09.9999) is the IPEDS catchall code for programs in the communication and journalism family that don’t fit any of the named 09.xx codes. The CIP definition treats it as any instructional program in communication, journalism, and related fields not listed elsewhere, which means specific program content varies considerably by institution. Programs filed under 09.9999 may blend strategic communication, integrated media, content production, sports media, advocacy and nonprofit communications, or interdisciplinary tracks that pull from journalism plus marketing plus media studies. Two graduates with the same CIP can have substantially different academic experiences depending on the school.

The major fits students who are drawn to communication broadly and want a program whose specific curriculum aligns with their interests, rather than one of the dominant named tracks. Coursework typically rewards strong writing, comfort building arguments and analyzing how messages move through institutions, and a willingness to work across formats — print, audio, video, and social. Because the CIP is a catchall, the school choice is unusually load-bearing: read the course catalog, look at faculty interests, and confirm what the program actually trains you to do.

The national footprint is small: 660 completions per year across 72 institutions, dwarfed by Speech Communication and Rhetoric (29,295), Communication, General (9,537), and Journalism (8,274). Howard University leads with 137 bachelor’s graduates, followed by Norfolk State (40), Penn State World Campus (37), Nebraska Omaha (37), Shippensburg (33), Berry College (29), and Minnesota Twin Cities (28); Harrisburg Area Community College is the only associate’s-heavy program in the top ten. The named BLS destinations — writers and authors at $72,270 (3.6% growth), editors at $75,260 (0.6% growth), and postsecondary communications teachers at $77,800 (doctorate-required) — anchor the writing-and-editing landing zone, with most graduates fanning out into corporate communications, PR, content marketing, and integrated media roles that aren’t in the packet. Bachelor’s five-year earnings of $59,313 versus associate’s $39,729 reflect a roughly $20,000 gap that mirrors the credential expectations of the named destinations.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Writers and authors $72k +3.6% Bachelor's degree
Editors $75k +0.6% Bachelor's degree
Communications teachers, postsecondary $78k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$58k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$40k

Bachelor's

$59k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if the specific program at a school like Howard, Penn State World Campus, Minnesota Twin Cities, or Norfolk State has a curriculum that aligns with your interests — strategic communication, integrated media, sports media, or an interdisciplinary track that doesn’t fit a named code. The major rewards students who read course catalogs carefully and confirm what a program actually teaches, who write well across formats, who think about how messages move through institutions and audiences, and who are comfortable building a portfolio across writing, audio, and video while a four-year credential is being earned. The bachelor’s wage of about $59,313 in five-year tracked earnings is consistent with entry-level professional landings in corporate communications, PR, content marketing, and editorial work — a wide landing zone with no single named pipeline.

Think twice if you want a credential that signals a specific training clearly to employers and graduate programs — Speech Communication (09.0101, 29,295 completions), Journalism (09.0401, 8,274), or Mass Communication (09.0102, 6,797) communicate more recognizably than ‘.9999 Other.’ Reconsider if you’re choosing the major based on the CIP title without verifying what the school’s curriculum covers; the catchall designation masks substantial variation between programs. Pause if you’re weighing an associate’s as a terminal credential — the $39,729 associate’s wage trails the $59,313 bachelor’s figure by close to $20,000, and every named destination in the data assumes a four-year degree. Pause again if you assume a writing-heavy major insulates you from AI; generative tools have already absorbed routine first-draft copy and basic editing, and the durable skills are reporting, editorial judgment, audience strategy, and accountability under deadline.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Howard University Washington, DC 0 137 137
Norfolk State University Norfolk, VA 0 40 40
Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA 0 37 37
University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 0 37 37
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania Shippensburg, PA 0 33 33
Berry College Mount Berry, GA 0 29 29
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 28 28
Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA 22 0 22
Western Illinois University Macomb, IL 0 20 20
Benedictine College Atchison, KS 0 19 19
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Speech Communication and Rhetoric

29,295 completions/yr

Communication, General

9,537 completions/yr

Journalism

8,274 completions/yr

Mass Communication/Media Studies

6,797 completions/yr

Creative Writing

3,403 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition

1,071 completions/yr

Broadcast Journalism

672 completions/yr

Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing

578 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does ‘Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other’ actually cover?
The CIP defines it simply: any instructional program in communication, journalism, and related fields not listed above. In practice, schools file programs here when their curriculum doesn’t fit the named 09.xx codes — neither Speech Communication (09.0101), Journalism (09.0401), Radio/TV (09.0701), Public Relations (09.0902), Advertising (09.0903), nor Mass Communication (09.0102). Programs reported under 09.9999 may blend strategic communication, integrated media, content production, sports media, or interdisciplinary tracks that pull from journalism plus marketing plus design. Two graduates with the same diploma title can have studied very different things, so read the actual course catalog before assuming what the major teaches.
How does this compare to named codes like Communication, General (09.0100), Journalism (09.0401), or Public Relations (09.0902)?
The named codes are much larger and signal a more specific training to employers. Speech Communication and Rhetoric (09.0101) sits at 29,295 completions, Communication, General (09.0100) at 9,537, Journalism (09.0401) at 8,274, Mass Communication/Media Studies (09.0102) at 6,797, and Broadcast Journalism (09.0402) at 672. This ‘.9999 Other’ code, at 660 completions across 72 schools, is what departments use when their program doesn’t map onto any of those buckets. Outcomes overlap heavily with the named codes — recruiters look at the school name, the portfolio, and what the curriculum actually covered, not the four-digit CIP.
What jobs do graduates actually land?
The data packet lists three named occupations the BLS associates with this CIP, and they sit on either side of the writing-and-editing world: writers and authors at $72,270 with 3.6% projected growth, editors at $75,260 with 0.6% growth, and communications teachers (postsecondary) at $77,800 with 2.1% growth — though that last one requires a doctorate. In practice, alumni tend to land in adjacent professional roles that aren’t in the packet — corporate communications, public relations, content marketing, integrated marketing, social-media strategy, and internal communications inside non-media companies. Five-year median earnings of $58,461 are consistent with these entry-level professional landings.
How does AI affect this major’s job outlook?
Honestly: a real amount, and it falls hardest on the routine writing layer. Generative AI has already absorbed first-draft copy, summarization, social-media captions, basic editing passes, and a sizable share of entry-level content tasks that used to be paid junior work. The named editor and writer occupations show modest growth (0.6% and 3.6%) that already prices in some of that pressure. The durable parts of the major are reporting, source-building, original interviewing, editorial judgment under deadline, and audience and brand strategy — work that requires accountability and context AI can’t supply on its own. Programs that lean into reporting, strategy, and ethics rather than just teaching writing software age better.
Is an associate’s enough, or do I need a bachelor’s?
The wage gap is meaningful: associate’s graduates earn about $39,729 in five-year tracked wages, while bachelor’s graduates earn about $59,313 — close to a $20,000 annual difference. Every named professional destination in the packet (writers, editors, postsecondary teachers) lists at least a bachelor’s as the standard credential, with the teaching role requiring a doctorate. Most top-completion schools in the data — Howard, Norfolk State, Penn State World Campus, Nebraska Omaha, Shippensburg, Berry, Minnesota Twin Cities — award only bachelor’s degrees in this CIP, with Harrisburg Area Community College the lone associate’s-heavy program in the top ten. An associate’s works as a transfer pathway into a four-year communications program; it is not the typical credential employers see for these roles.
What if I like the field but want a more recognizable credential?
The related-majors data points to clearer specializations within the same family. Speech Communication and Rhetoric (09.0101, 29,295 completions) is the dominant named track and emphasizes rhetoric, public address, and interpersonal communication. Communication, General (09.0100, 9,537) keeps the door open across multiple specializations. Journalism (09.0401, 8,274) anchors the reporting and editorial track. Mass Communication and Media Studies (09.0102, 6,797) goes wider, layering theory and audience research onto craft. If the program at your school is excellent and you can articulate what it taught you, the catchall CIP doesn’t hurt much — but a named code communicates training more clearly to employers and graduate programs.