What you'll do in college
Communication and media studies majors examine how messages and media shape culture, politics, relationships, and identity. The major spans communication theory, rhetoric and public speaking, mass and digital media, film and television studies, media production, and interpersonal and intercultural communication. It's the broadest of the communication fields—part social science, part media criticism, part hands-on production.
Depending on the program you might analyze media industries and audiences, study the history of film and broadcasting, or produce video, audio, and digital content yourself. Many programs pair theory with media-production labs, campus radio or TV, and internships at studios, networks, or media companies.
What you'll do after college
Grads go into an unusually wide range of fields—media and entertainment, marketing and social media, content and video production, broadcasting, tech, education, and corporate communication. Common roles include content creator and producer, social media manager, media planner, communications generalist, account coordinator, and on-air or production talent.
It's a flexible, generalist degree—employers value people who can think critically about media, write and speak clearly, and produce content for any platform. Entry pay is moderate and the early path is less defined than in journalism or PR, but the major opens doors across almost every industry that runs on communication.
Famous graduates
- Spike Lee — Legendary filmmaker; B.A. in Mass Communication from Morehouse College
- Erin Andrews — Prominent sports broadcaster; B.A. in Telecommunications from University of Florida
- Al Roker — Television personality and weather anchor; B.A. in Communications from SUNY Oswego
- Oprah Winfrey — Media mogul and host; B.A. in Speech Communications from Tennessee State University
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings by acceptance rate and institution category
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Media & Communication Studies | 991 | 45,814 | 38% / 62% | 4% | $57,586 | 95% |
| 594 | 20,987 | 36% / 64% | 4% | $57,320 | 95% | |
| 167 | 6,345 | 36% / 64% | 2% | $56,619 | 95% | |
| 52 | 3,760 | 38% / 62% | 4% | $59,371 | 95% | |
| 153 | 2,073 | 38% / 62% | 3% | $52,774 | 95% | |
| 78 | 1,587 | 35% / 65% | 6% | $58,750 | 95% | |
| 49 | 1,195 | 58% / 42% | 2% | $51,920 | 95% | |
| 78 | 904 | 48% / 52% | 6% | $55,062 | 96% | |
| 33 | 732 | 30% / 70% | 6% | $58,129 | 96% | |
| 62 | 731 | 77% / 23% | 1% | $59,350 | 96% | |
| 13 | 643 | 34% / 66% | 3% | $60,288 | 95% | |
| 1 | 600 | 25% / 75% | 12% | $63,908 | 89% | |
| 1 | 532 | 34% / 66% | 1% | $58,807 | 94% | |
| 4 | 515 | 33% / 67% | 7% | $58,498 | 95% | |
| 1 | 506 | 48% / 52% | 2% | $55,871 | 87% | |
| 7 | 488 | 42% / 58% | 2% | $51,908 | 94% | |
| 1 | 482 | 38% / 62% | 4% | $66,947 | 97% | |
| 1 | 375 | 19% / 81% | 3% | $76,714 | 97% | |
| 14 | 344 | 57% / 43% | 2% | $52,747 | 96% | |
| 2 | 321 | 25% / 75% | 3% | $75,158 | 95% | |
| 4 | 177 | 40% / 60% | 17% | $61,904 | 94% | |
| 1 | 169 | 30% / 70% | 1% | $54,650 | 96% | |
| 3 | 164 | 47% / 53% | 7% | $60,340 | 96% | |
| 4 | 150 | 40% / 60% | 7% | $56,787 | 97% | |
| 2 | 133 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $56,752 | 94% | |
| 1 | 121 | 31% / 69% | 1% | $50,518 | 94% | |
| 1 | 106 | 43% / 57% | 4% | $68,225 | 98% | |
| 2 | 102 | 44% / 56% | 14% | $61,446 | 99% | |
| 1 | 97 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $64,312 | 94% | |
| 1 | 95 | 32% / 68% | 1% | $56,938 | 90% | |
| 1 | 92 | 40% / 60% | 1% | $54,405 | 95% | |
| 1 | 86 | 57% / 43% | 0% | $59,038 | 92% | |
| 1 | 84 | 44% / 56% | 6% | $50,591 | 98% | |
| 2 | 79 | 68% / 32% | 0% | $59,133 | 97% | |
| 8 | 78 | 12% / 88% | 0% | $50,488 | 100% | |
| 1 | 73 | 38% / 62% | 1% | $58,758 | ||
| 4 | 71 | 8% / 92% | 0% | $46,310 | 98% | |
| 1 | 71 | 70% / 30% | 0% | $46,541 | 97% | |
| 1 | 65 | 40% / 60% | 2% | $62,241 | 100% | |
| 1 | 64 | 44% / 56% | 3% | $107,618 | 98% | |
| 1 | 60 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $59,516 | 96% | |
| 2 | 54 | 56% / 44% | 9% | $47,016 | 96% | |
| 2 | 49 | 43% / 57% | 10% | $70,540 | 100% | |
| 1 | 49 | 35% / 65% | 2% | $45,790 | 91% | |
| 4 | 39 | 36% / 64% | 0% | $59,035 | 94% | |
| 1 | 38 | 58% / 42% | 5% | $50,795 | 96% | |
| 2 | 33 | 27% / 73% | 3% | $56,340 | 95% | |
| 1 | 33 | 64% / 36% | 0% | $50,961 | 98% | |
| 1 | 28 | 54% / 46% | 4% | $52,926 | 94% | |
| 1 | 27 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $48,053 | 96% | |
| 1 | 26 | 46% / 54% | 0% | $39,073 | 83% | |
| 1 | 24 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $78,737 | 95% | |
| 3 | 23 | 74% / 26% | 9% | $56,276 | ||
| 1 | 20 | 55% / 45% | 5% | $65,600 | 95% | |
| 1 | 19 | 74% / 26% | 0% | $89,570 | 98% | |
| 1 | 17 | 41% / 59% | 0% | $46,056 | 92% | |
| 1 | 17 | 53% / 47% | 0% | $55,330 | 100% | |
| 1 | 13 | 31% / 69% | 0% | $64,282 | 93% | |
| 1 | 10 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $50,800 | 98% | |
| 5 | 9 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $66,988 | 98% | |
| 1 | 6 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $46,912 | 89% | |
| 1 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $60,819 | 97% | |
| 1 | 5 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $55,436 | 97% | |
| 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $59,666 | 97% | |
| 1 | 5 | 100% / 0% | 20% | $47,357 | ||
| 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $61,414 | ||
| 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $48,460 | ||
| 1 | 0 | $49,416 | 98% |