undergradly.
Major · Communication & Journalism

Report, write, edit — and go in with your eyes open

Journalism trains students to find, verify, and communicate news across print, digital, and broadcast platforms. It is a skills-heavy major with real craft at its core — reporting, editing, news writing, media law — available at 442 colleges and awarding roughly 8,274 degrees per year. The economics of the field have shifted considerably; the career paths it leads to require honest appraisal.

Schools offering
442
Annual completions
8,274
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$55k

About this major

Journalism as a formal major is not primarily an academic study of media — it is an apprenticeship in the practice of reporting. Coursework covers news writing, editing, source development, photojournalism, media law, and ethics alongside the history and criticism of the press. The CIP definition frames the degree as preparing professional print journalists, news editors, and news managers, and most programs take that seriously through practicum work, campus publications, and internship requirements.

The major draws students who are genuinely motivated by the act of finding and telling true stories — people who find source-development and fact-checking satisfying rather than tedious. That motivation matters more here than in some other fields, because the economic signals are mixed enough that intrinsic commitment to the work is one of the more reliable predictors of following through into the industry. Five-year median earnings for graduates run about $55,211, with bachelor's completers at roughly $55,282. The tracked careers — editors at $75,260, writers and authors at $72,270, reporters at $60,280 — are higher, but the gap reflects that many graduates spend their first years in adjacent roles before reaching those positions, or shift into PR, content marketing, and brand communications where journalism skills translate but the job title does not.

The industry context is real and worth stating plainly. News analysts, reporters, and journalists show a -3.9% projected job growth rate — the BLS expects the occupation to contract, not expand. Editors are essentially flat at 0.6% growth. The skills the major builds — research, deadline writing, sourcing, fact-checking — are transferable into a range of communications roles that are growing, but the traditional newsroom is a smaller employer than it was twenty years ago. About 8,274 degrees are awarded annually across 442 colleges, making this a mid-sized major with significant representation at flagship journalism schools like Missouri, Penn State, North Texas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.

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
News analysts, reporters, and journalists $60k -3.9% Bachelor's degree
Communications teachers, postsecondary $78k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Proofreaders and copy markers $49k -0.6% Bachelor's 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

$55k

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

Associate's

$48k

Bachelor's

$55k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if the idea of knocking on doors, making cold calls, and building sources over time sounds like the interesting part of the job rather than a burden — if the pursuit of a story feels as engaging as the act of writing it. The major rewards students who are genuinely curious about institutions, power, and public life, and who want practical craft skills early: you'll be publishing work in campus media and interning in newsrooms before you graduate. The bachelor's is the practical credential — bachelor's completers earn about $55,282 at five years, and newsroom entry roles effectively require the four-year degree even where the earnings gap over an associate's is modest.

Think twice if you're primarily drawn to journalism as a platform for your own opinions rather than as a discipline of reporting. The craft built here — sourcing, verification, legal and ethical accountability — is distinct from commentary or content creation, and programs that take the discipline seriously will hold you to that distinction. Think twice also if a contracting core job market is a dealbreaker: the -3.9% growth projection for reporters is not a cyclical dip but a structural trend in the industry, and while the skills translate into PR, communications, and content roles, those paths are meaningfully different from staff journalism work. If your real interest is the strategic communication side — campaigns, brand narrative, organizational messaging — Communication, General or Speech Communication may fit the actual goal better and have broader job market options at graduation.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Journalism

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 0 438 438
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 184 184
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 0 183 183
University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 0 170 170
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Norman, OK 0 169 169
University of Georgia Athens, GA 0 165 165
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 154 154
West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 0 148 148
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 146 146
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 135 135
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Speech Communication and Rhetoric

29,295 completions/yr

Communication, General

9,537 completions/yr

Mass Communication/Media Studies

6,797 completions/yr

Radio and Television

4,611 completions/yr

Creative Writing

3,403 completions/yr

Rhetoric and Composition

1,071 completions/yr

Sports Communication

766 completions/yr

Broadcast Journalism

672 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Journalism majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum centers on the practice of reporting and editing: news writing, source development, multimedia storytelling, photojournalism, and headline and layout work. You'll take courses in journalism law and ethics (First Amendment, libel, shield laws), research methods, and media history. Upper-division work typically moves into specializations — investigative reporting, data journalism, broadcast production, or magazine editing. Unlike many majors, the output is public from early on: campus publications and practicum courses put your work in front of real audiences in the first or second year.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a Journalism degree?
Five-year median earnings for Journalism graduates run about $55,211. Bachelor's completers specifically land at roughly $55,282, and associate's completers at about $48,497 — a gap of under $7,000, which is narrow compared to most fields. The BLS careers most closely associated with the major post higher medians: writers and authors at $72,270, editors at $75,260, and news analysts, reporters, and journalists at $60,280. The gap between those tracked wages and the five-year overall median reflects that many graduates land in adjacent roles — PR, content marketing, communications, and nonprofit communications — rather than staff writing or editing positions, which are competitive and have declined in number. Expect the higher-end wages to take several years to reach.
How competitive — and how stable — is the job market for Journalism graduates?
Honestly, the core occupation is contracting. News analysts, reporters, and journalists show a projected growth rate of -3.9% — the BLS expects fewer jobs in that category over the next decade, not more. Editors are essentially flat at 0.6% projected growth. Writers and authors show 3.6% growth, which is slightly below the roughly 4-5% average across all occupations. The picture for adjacent careers in communications, content, and PR is more favorable, which is where many graduates end up channeling the skills built in this major. A Journalism degree builds portable skills — research, sourcing, deadline writing, fact-checking — but the traditional newsroom is a shrinking employer.
What kinds of jobs do Journalism graduates end up in?
The five careers most associated with the major run from the obvious to the adjacent. News analysts, reporters, and journalists ($60,280 median) and editors ($75,260 median) are the core newsroom destinations. Writers and authors ($72,270 median, 3.6% growth) is a broader category covering staff writing, content strategy, and book authorship. Proofreaders and copy markers ($49,210 median) represent an entry-level or secondary path. Communications teachers at the postsecondary level earn $77,800 but typically require a doctoral degree — not a journalism-only path. Beyond these tracked careers, a large share of graduates use the major's research and writing skills in PR, nonprofit communications, brand journalism, and content marketing roles not individually tracked here.
Do I need a bachelor's, or will an associate's degree in Journalism work?
The earnings gap between degree levels is narrower here than in most fields — bachelor's completers earn about $55,282 at five years versus $48,497 for associate's completers, a difference of roughly $6,800. That said, a bachelor's is the de facto entry credential for newsroom and editorial roles: all four of the non-teaching BLS careers associated with this major list a bachelor's degree as the typical education. The argument for the bachelor's isn't a dramatic wage premium so much as it is access — most staff reporter and editorial positions expect a four-year degree, and competitive journalism programs at universities also open doors through faculty networks, internship pipelines, and publication experience that two-year programs typically don't match in scale.
Is Journalism the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
The closest relatives in the data are Mass Communication/Media Studies (6,797 completions per year) and Broadcast Journalism (672 completions), both within the same CIP family. Speech Communication and Rhetoric is the largest adjacent major by volume at 29,295 completions and overlaps significantly in career outcomes. Communication, General (9,537 completions) is broader and more flexible in scope. Creative Writing (3,403 completions) shares the SOC-code overlap with writers and authors but draws from a different department tradition. Journalism is the right choice if you specifically want the reporting-and-editing skill set and you're targeting newsroom or investigative work. If your interests are more toward media theory, brand storytelling, or broad communications roles, the related majors may serve you better — and Speech Communication in particular has a deeper transfer pathway infrastructure at community colleges.