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Concentration · CIP 10

Communications Technologies/technicians and Support Services

Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services (CIP family 10) covers programs that train individuals to operate, support, and manage equipment in the film and video, audio recording, broadcasting, and graphic communications industries. Across 15 distinct majors offered at 218 colleges — with 9,213 total completions — students learn to animate, record, broadcast, design, and produce media from the ground up. Programs range from the highly popular Animation track to specialized niches like Platemaker/Imager and Voice Writing Technology. The family bridges creative production with technical operations, making it well-suited for students who want both artistic and technical fluency in media careers.

Majors
15
Colleges
226
Annual completions
9,885
Top career
Printing press operators
Majors in this concentration

Sorted by popularity

Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects

Top career: Special effects artists and animators

226 colleges · 4,885 completions/yr

Recording Arts Technology/Technician

Top career: Audio and video technicians

122 colleges · 1,262 completions/yr

Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician

Top career: Film and video editors

84 colleges · 954 completions/yr

Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Other

Top career: Film and video editors

10 colleges · 596 completions/yr

Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design

Top career: Prepress technicians and workers

75 colleges · 521 completions/yr

Communications Technology/Technician

Top career: Film and video editors

27 colleges · 500 completions/yr

Photographic and Film/Video Technology/Technician

Top career: Audio and video technicians

80 colleges · 440 completions/yr

Graphic Communications, General

Top career: Prepress technicians and workers

30 colleges · 283 completions/yr

Communications Technologies/Technicians and Support Services, Other

20 colleges · 130 completions/yr

Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production

Top career: Printing press operators

23 colleges · 128 completions/yr

Graphic Communications, Other

Top career: Printing press operators

9 colleges · 117 completions/yr

Printing Management

Top career: Printing press operators

4 colleges · 56 completions/yr

Printing Press Operator

Top career: Printing press operators

1 colleges · 7 completions/yr

Platemaker/Imager

Top career: Prepress technicians and workers

3 colleges · 3 completions/yr

Voice Writing Technology/Technician

Top career: Court reporters and simultaneous captioners

2 colleges · 3 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

How do I choose between the majors in the Communications Technologies concentration?
The clearest dividing line is digital media production versus print and graphic reproduction. Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects (218 colleges, 4,333 completions) and Recording Arts Technology/Technician (122 colleges, 1,311 completions) train you for screen-based, digital, and audio careers. On the print side, programs like Prepress/Desktop Publishing and Digital Imaging Design (64 colleges, 485 completions) and Graphic and Printing Equipment Operator, General Production (25 colleges, 169 completions) prepare you for publishing and manufacturing environments. The top digital career — Audio and Video Technicians — earns $54,830 median, while the top print career — Printing Press Operators — earns $45,160 median.
What's the difference between Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, and Special Effects and Recording Arts Technology/Technician?
Both are digital-media programs, but they serve entirely different production roles. Animation (CIP 10.0304) trains you for visual creation — character animation, motion graphics, and VFX pipelines for games and film, with Special Effects Artists and Animators as the top career. It is the largest major in the family at 4,333 completions across 218 colleges. Recording Arts Technology/Technician (CIP 10.0203) trains you for sound: studio recording sessions, live-sound engineering, post-production audio mixing, and broadcast audio — with Audio and Video Technicians ($54,830 median) as the primary career destination, offered at 122 colleges with 1,311 completions.
Which majors in this family are most commonly available at the associate's degree or certificate level?
This concentration is strongly community-college oriented. Animation leads availability with all 218 colleges in the family offering it. Recording Arts Technology/Technician (122 colleges) and Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician (85 colleges) follow, both commonly available as two-year associate's or shorter certificate programs. Photographic and Film/Video Technology/Technician is offered at 78 colleges and Prepress/Desktop Publishing at 64. The specialized printing programs — Printing Press Operator (1 college) and Platemaker/Imager (3 colleges) — are highly rare and represent narrowly focused workforce credentials.
What do graduates from this concentration typically earn?
The family-wide median earnings are approximately $46,032 per year, but the range is meaningful. Audio and Video Technicians — the top career for Recording Arts and Photographic/Film Technology graduates — earn $54,830 median, the highest in the family. Printing Press Operators earn $45,160 median, closely tracking the family average, while Data Entry Keyers at $39,850 represent the lower end of the earnings band. Earnings in the digital media tracks tend to grow with portfolio quality and specialization; print production roles are more directly tied to regional manufacturing employment levels.
Is this concentration a stepping stone toward a four-year degree in communications or media production?
Several programs in this family can serve as transfer pathways, though they are designed primarily for workforce entry. Animation and Recording Arts programs at community colleges often have articulation agreements with four-year film, media arts, or digital media production programs at state universities. Radio and Television Broadcasting Technology/Technician graduates sometimes transfer into Communications or Media Studies bachelor's programs. Students targeting transfer should confirm articulation agreements with their specific institution before enrolling, since credit portability varies widely. For the print-production programs (Graphic Communications, Printing Press Operator), four-year transfer is uncommon — those programs are credential-first.
Which career in this concentration has the best long-term outlook, and which major leads there?
Audio and Video Technicians ($54,830 median) represent the strongest earning career tracked in this family, and they are the primary career destination for both Recording Arts Technology/Technician and Photographic and Film/Video Technology/Technician graduates. Demand for these technicians is driven by live events, streaming production, and broadcast media — industries that are growing in the digital era. By contrast, Printing Press Operators ($45,160 median) face a long-term secular decline tied to reduced print media demand, making graphic communications and printing programs higher-risk from a career-longevity perspective. Students prioritizing career durability should favor the digital-media track.