undergradly.
Major · Communication, Journalism & Media

Niche tracks inside the modern media landscape

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other (CIP 09.0799) is a catchall code that 33 colleges use for specialized media tracks — podcast production, streaming, audio-for-video, immersive storytelling — that don't fit neatly under the named Radio/TV (09.0701) or Digital Communication (09.0702) codes. About 789 students complete the major each year.

Schools offering
33
Annual completions
789
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$50k

About this major

Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other (CIP 09.0799) is the IPEDS catchall code for radio, TV, and digital-communication programs that don't fit the named sub-disciplines. The official definition is short — "any instructional program in radio, television, and digital communications not listed above" — and that brevity is the whole story. Schools file specialized or hybrid tracks here: podcast production, streaming-platform operations, audio-for-video work, broadcast-journalism hybrids, immersive digital storytelling. Coursework typically blends production craft (recording, editing, mixing, on-camera work) with audience and platform thinking — how a piece of media reaches people, gets measured, and earns attention across YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, podcast apps, and what's left of linear broadcast.

It tends to attract students who are already making things — a podcast in their dorm, video essays on YouTube, a college radio show — and want a program that takes the craft seriously without limiting them to one platform. Strong candidates enjoy the technical side (signal flow, editing software, microphone choice) but also the editorial and rhetorical side (what's the story, who's the audience, why now). Because the CIP is a catchall, the experience varies a lot by department, so the choice of school is unusually load-bearing.

The scale is small: about 789 completions per year across 33 colleges, compared with ~4,611 for the named Radio and Television CIP and ~6,649 for Digital Communication and Media. Top destinations sit at four-year universities like Towson, the University of Alabama, Clark Atlanta, and Miami — all bachelor's-track. Five-year median earnings of about $50,381 reflect a competitive, project-driven entry market where the credential opens doors but the portfolio decides which doors.

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.

No federal crosswalk data available for this major yet.

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 already producing media in your spare time and want a degree that takes that work seriously, if you can hold the technical and editorial sides of production in the same head — caring equally about microphone choice and story structure, if you're comfortable with the fact that the named labels ("Radio and Television," "Digital Communication") are more recognizable to recruiters and you're willing to articulate what your specific program taught you, if you're drawn to streaming, podcasts, or platform-native content rather than legacy broadcast slots, and if you're prepared for an entry-level market where the bachelor's lifts five-year earnings to roughly $51K but the portfolio is what gets you hired.

Think twice if you want a clean linear career path with a single named occupation at the end — BLS data on this CIP is thin precisely because graduates scatter across streaming, corporate content, podcasting, and social-media roles. Think twice if you assume a four-year media degree insulates you from AI; automated mixing, voice cloning, and generative scriptwriting are eroding entry-level production tasks, and the durable skills are storytelling and audience strategy, not just software fluency. Think twice if you'd be picking the program at a school where 09.0799 is a tiny niche — with only 33 colleges nationally and 789 total completions, depth and faculty mass matter, and a small program can mean limited courses, equipment, and alumni network.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other

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

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Towson University Towson, MD 0 116 116
The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 0 88 88
Clark Atlanta University Atlanta, GA 0 84 84
University of Miami Coral Gables, FL 0 62 62
Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI 0 53 53
Universidad del Sagrado Corazon Santurce, PR 0 49 49
Hofstra University Hempstead, NY 0 47 47
Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX 0 38 38
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH 0 30 30
Arkansas State University Jonesboro, AR 0 29 29
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

Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia

6,649 completions/yr

Radio and Television

4,611 completions/yr

Communication and Media Studies, Other

1,503 completions/yr

Broadcast Journalism

672 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does 'Radio, Television, and Digital Communication, Other' actually mean?
It is a catchall CIP code (09.0799) that schools use when their program doesn't fit the named buckets — 09.0701 Radio and Television or 09.0702 Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia. The IPEDS definition reads simply: 'Any instructional program in radio, television, and digital communications not listed above.' In practice, departments file niche tracks here: podcast production, streaming media operations, audio-for-video, broadcast journalism hybrids, immersive/digital storytelling. The specific content varies considerably by institution, so two students with the same diploma title may have studied very different things.
How is this different from 09.0701 Radio and Television or 09.0702 Digital Communication?
09.0701 Radio and Television (~4,611 completions/year) is the traditional broadcast track — studio production, on-air presentation, the legacy linear-TV/radio model. 09.0702 Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia (~6,649 completions/year) is the larger, more recognizable track for cross-platform digital production. 09.0799 'Other' (~789 completions/year) is what departments use when their program doesn't sit cleanly inside either — often hybrid or emerging programs. Recruiters scanning resumes will recognize the named codes faster, so it's worth confirming what your school's specific 09.0799 program actually trains you to do.
What jobs do graduates actually go into?
The data packet doesn't list specific BLS occupations for this CIP — partly because graduate destinations vary so widely. In practice, alumni land in streaming and on-demand video (Netflix, YouTube, Twitch operations, content production), corporate communications and brand content, podcast production and audio engineering, social-media content roles, and — increasingly less — traditional broadcast outlets, where Radio/TV announcer roles are projected to decline. Five-year median earnings sit around $50,381, which is modest for a four-year credential and reflects how project-based and competitive the entry-level market is.
How does AI affect this major's job outlook?
Honestly: a real amount. Automated audio mixing and mastering, AI voice cloning, generative scriptwriting, and auto-edit tools are already chipping at entry-level production tasks that used to be paid junior work. Traditional Radio/TV announcer roles tracked by BLS show declining employment projections (roughly -3% to -8% over the decade). The durable parts of the major are the harder-to-automate skills: storytelling, audience research, multi-platform distribution strategy, and editorial judgment. Programs that lean into those — rather than just teaching software — age better.
Is an associate's enough, or do I need a bachelor's?
The numbers suggest the bachelor's matters here. Five-year median earnings split out at about $36,454 for associate's holders versus $51,321 for bachelor's holders — a roughly $15K gap. Most of the schools in the top-10 completions list (Towson University, University of Alabama, Clark Atlanta, University of Miami) award only bachelor's degrees in this CIP, which is a strong signal of where the field assumes you'll come from. An associate's can be a stepping stone, but it's not the typical credential employers see.
Where do schools actually offer this program?
Only 33 colleges nationally award this specific CIP, with completions concentrated at a small number of programs. The largest is Towson University (116 bachelor's/year), followed by The University of Alabama (88), Clark Atlanta University (84), University of Miami (62), and Central Michigan University (53). Notably, several HBCUs and faith-affiliated institutions appear in the list — Clark Atlanta, Universidad del Sagrado Corazon, Texas Christian. Because the CIP is a catchall, the program at one school can look very different from another, so check curriculum carefully.