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Major · Communication & Journalism

On-air dreams, behind-camera realities — what Radio and Television actually leads to

Radio and Television prepares students to plan, produce, and distribute audio and video content — from script to broadcast. The major blends production technique, media management, writing, and broadcast technology. About 4,611 degrees are awarded annually across 184 colleges, with programs at both the associate's and bachelor's level. Career destinations range from producers and directors to broadcast announcers, with very different earnings and growth trajectories depending on which path you take.

Schools offering
184
Annual completions
4,611
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$50k

About this major

Radio and Television as a formal major is built around the full production pipeline of broadcast content. The CIP definition frames it as training in planning, producing, and distributing audio and video programs and messages — covering media aesthetics, scheduling, writing, directing, personnel and facilities management, marketing, distribution, and broadcast regulation. That breadth is intentional: the degree is designed to produce people who can run a media operation, not just appear in one. Students spend significant time in production studios, working through the craft of making content rather than simply studying it.

The programs that award this degree tend to sit in schools of communication or journalism and draw students with a concrete interest in the production side of media — people who want to know how a segment is made, how a broadcast is managed, and how the business around it works. It attracts a different kind of student than a media studies or journalism program: less interested in criticism or reporting, more interested in craft and execution. The degree-level split in earnings underscores this practically: bachelor's completers report five-year median earnings around $51,321, while associate's completers land at about $36,454 — a gap of nearly $15,000 that reflects how much of the production and management track requires the four-year credential.

On the career side, the field spans a wide pay range. Producers and directors post a $83,480 median wage with 4.9% projected growth, and film and video editors earn $70,980 with 4.0% growth — both reflect the expansion of production work beyond traditional broadcast into streaming, digital content, and corporate video. Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys, often the most visible face of the field to outsiders, post a $45,680 median and a -5.5% projected decline. About 4,611 degrees are awarded annually across 184 colleges, making this a mid-sized major with strong volume at public universities in California and Texas.

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
Producers and directors $83k +4.9% Bachelor's degree
News analysts, reporters, and journalists $60k -3.9% Bachelor's degree
Film and video editors $71k +4.0% Bachelor's degree
Communications teachers, postsecondary $78k +2.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys $46k -5.5% 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

$50k

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

Associate's

$36k

Bachelor's

$51k

Who this major is for

You may thrive here if you are drawn to the production side of media — the craft of making a broadcast, building a segment, or directing a team through a live shoot — rather than the analytical or reporting side. This major rewards students who want hands-on studio experience early and who are comfortable with a curriculum that is more applied than theoretical. The path to the field's better-paying roles goes through the producer and director track ($83,480 median, 4.9% projected growth), and programs that take production seriously give you real reps in facilities management, directing, and content distribution before graduation. If you know you want the bachelor's — and the earnings data is a strong argument that you should — programs at schools like CSU Northridge, UT Austin, and Boston University award the most completions and typically have the strongest industry connections and studio facilities.

Think twice if your primary draw to this major is the idea of being on-air — broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys face a -5.5% projected decline and a $45,680 median wage, the weakest numbers in the career table. Think twice also if you want a curriculum primarily about understanding or critiquing media rather than producing it; this is a production degree, and the theory content serves the craft rather than the other way around. If you are weighing this against Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia (6,649 completions annually) or Cinematography and Film/Video Production (6,935 completions), consider whether your production interest is specifically in broadcast — radio, television, news — or whether it extends to digital and film formats that those adjacent programs address more directly.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Radio and Television

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA 0 424 424
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 302 302
University of North Texas Denton, TX 0 179 179
Boston University Boston, MA 0 169 169
California State University-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 0 167 167
California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA 0 149 149
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 126 126
Temple University Philadelphia, PA 0 114 114
San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA 0 104 104
University of Houston Houston, TX 0 99 99
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

Cinematography and Film/Video Production

6,935 completions/yr

Mass Communication/Media Studies

6,797 completions/yr

Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

6,649 completions/yr

Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician

953 completions/yr

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other

789 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do Radio and Television majors actually study day-to-day?
The curriculum centers on the practice of making broadcast content. You'll study production planning, scriptwriting, directing, editing, and the technical side of broadcast systems — cameras, audio equipment, mixing boards, and transmission. Programs cover media aesthetics (what makes a broadcast compelling), personnel and facilities management, and the legal and regulatory environment governing radio and TV. Marketing and distribution rounds out the applied side. The CIP definition is explicit that the degree trains producers, directors, and media managers — not just performers — and most programs reflect that through hands-on studio time alongside the theory courses.
What kinds of jobs do Radio and Television graduates end up in?
The career destinations split sharply. Producers and directors are the highest-compensated path at $83,480 median wage with a 4.9% growth projection — solid by any measure. Film and video editors earn $70,980 median with 4.0% projected growth, and that path has expanded beyond traditional broadcast into streaming, YouTube, podcasting, and corporate video. News analysts, reporters, and journalists sit at $60,280 median but show a -3.9% growth projection, meaning the newsroom hiring pipeline is contracting. Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys — the most visible 'radio and TV' job to an outsider — pay the least at $45,680 median and are projected to decline at -5.5%, the sharpest drop in the career table. Communications teachers at the postsecondary level earn $77,800 but typically require a doctoral degree.
What's a realistic earnings picture after a Radio and Television degree?
Five-year median earnings for this major sit around $50,381 across degree levels. Bachelor's completers land notably higher at roughly $51,321, while associate's completers report about $36,454 — a gap of nearly $15,000, which is substantial and reflects how degree level opens or closes access to production and management roles. The $50,000 range is below what you might expect given the $83,480 median for producers and directors — that gap reflects the reality that most graduates start in lower-level roles and take several years to reach occupational medians. Entry into production assistant, floor director, or assistant editor positions is common first, and the path to full producer or director status typically involves time and a portfolio of work.
Do I need a bachelor's, or is an associate's enough for Radio and Television?
The earnings data makes a strong case for the bachelor's. Associate's completers in this field report five-year median earnings of about $36,454, compared to roughly $51,321 for bachelor's completers — a gap of nearly $15,000 at five years. That's one of the larger degree-level earnings splits in the communications family. More practically, producer and director roles — the best-compensated and fastest-growing destination — list a bachelor's degree as the typical entry credential, and larger markets and production companies will generally not consider candidates without one. An associate's can serve as a transfer platform into a four-year program, and several of the top volume schools for this major are public universities with strong transfer infrastructure.
How competitive is the job market for Radio and Television graduates?
Highly competitive and bifurcated by role. The on-air and announcing end of the field — broadcast announcers and disc jockeys — faces the steepest decline at -5.5% projected growth and the lowest median wage at $45,680. Traditional journalism within broadcast is also contracting at -3.9%. The production and editing side is more favorable: film and video editors show 4.0% projected growth, and producers and directors show 4.9% growth — both modest but positive, and both buoyed by growth in streaming, digital content, and corporate video that extends well beyond traditional broadcast. Getting into production roles requires building a real portfolio during school, and those who do tend to find more consistent footing than those targeting on-air positions.
Is Radio and Television the right fit, or should I consider a related major?
Radio and Television is the most explicitly production-oriented major in the communication family — it's the right choice if you want hands-on training in making broadcast and video content with an eye toward managing or directing it professionally. If you're drawn more to the analytical side of media — how content shapes culture, how institutions are structured — Mass Communication/Media Studies (6,797 completions annually) is a closer fit. If your interest is primarily in video production and cinematography rather than broadcast specifically, Cinematography and Film/Video Production (6,935 completions) covers that ground more deeply. Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia (6,649 completions) is a younger, platform-agnostic version of the same production skill set. Journalism (8,274 completions) is the right choice if reporting and news specifically is your goal. The career outcomes overlap significantly between these programs — the distinction is how much you want the curriculum focused on studio and broadcast production versus other media forms.