For example, it doesn’t only train students to work in a newsroom. A journalism degree also equips students with a long list of transferable skills that can prepare them for many jobs outside traditional media.
Along with many career opportunities in journalism, a journalism degree opens doors to career options in marketing, public relations, publishing, and communications roles with companies, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.
“Journalism degrees are in high demand, not only in traditional journalism industries but also in other fields,” says Melissa Tully, director of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “The skills that you develop as a journalism student can really take you down a variety of career paths, in part because people are always looking for students who can write, who can clearly communicate, and who have good critical thinking skills and the ability to think on their feet. These are all hard skills and soft skills that translate to several fields.”
The best degree for journalism depends on what you want to do with it. No matter whether you want to pursue a career within traditional media or a new communication field, there’s a type of journalism degree that’s just right for you.
“I came into college wanting to be a sports reporter covering the Chicago Cubs. And then I got a communications internship for University of Iowa Athletics as a freshman. I had no idea that something in that sort of space existed for what I could do for a job. That internship changed the course of my career.
I work in social media and digital media, which existed when I was in college, but nowhere near the way that it exists right now. The job I’m in now didn’t exist when I started college, didn’t exist when I graduated, didn’t exist up until two years ago. It’s pretty cool how that has transformed.”
Brandee Britt
Director of social media and digital strategy for University of Iowa Athletics. BA, journalism and mass communications, sports studies, 2015, University of Iowa
College journalism programs may offer several types of journalism degrees, such as journalism and mass communication, sport media and culture, or strategic communication. They also may provide a variety of concentrations or tracks that enable you to create a more streamlined career path while acquiring knowledge and a companion set of skills to those in the main journalism curriculum.
The type of journalism job you want will influence the type of degree you should pursue.
Reporters are responsible for telling stories that provide the public with information relevant and important to their lives. This can include investigative journalism , which delves deeply into one topic, such as political corruption, crime, human rights abuses, or the environment.
If you enjoy storytelling but prefer to go beyond the written word, broadcasting or video and audio production may be the way to go. Here you’ll learn to tell stories and deliver news via television, radio, podcasts, social media, and film.
This type of writing may allow you to tell longer-form stories that go beyond the traditional news story. It can often allow for more creativity and delving deeper into a topic. Following this path may lead you to write or edit for magazines or websites, or even your own book.
Communication specialists in the nonprofit world use strategies such as storytelling, marketing, fundraising, and engagement to promote their mission. Positions in this field include nonprofit communications director, fundraiser, development director, or social media manager.
In this field, you will work to build brand strategy, promote your clients’ events and stories, and develop a client’s public image. Roles you may consider include public relations specialist, content marketer, account executive, copywriter, social media manager, or event planner.
If you love sports, focusing on an education in sports communication or journalism can lead to a variety of career opportunities within media, college and professional sports, and public and private recreation organizations.
The free flow of communication between politicians, news media, and the public is essential for a healthy society. Along with working as a political journalist, you also might want to consider becoming a legislative staffer, speechwriter, campaign worker, or press agent.
Images play a crucial role in communication. Photojournalists tell stories through photos, which can be accompanied by a written component or stand on their own. Graphic designers create visual elements that communicate ideas and information.
Working with data to glean useful information can help you tell stories that better allow people to make informed decisions. This path may lead you into fields such as data journalism, audience analytics, marketing research, or user experience research and design.
If you simply want to look at big numbers, high-profile broadcasters are examples of some of the highest-paying jobs in the industry. The annual salaries of many well-known broadcasters — including journalism and mass communication grads such as David Muir, Robin Roberts, and Stephen A. Smith — are purported to be large enough to necessitate two commas.
While it’s good to have lofty goals, it might not be best to hold up outliers as the definition of a journalism degree salary .
Below you’ll find salary ranges, categorized by the type of job often held by those with a journalism degree. The average annual salary is there, but we also want to show what an income looks like at various percentiles (10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th). The lower points give you an idea of where entry-level jobs might land, or what you might be paid in certain geographic regions that aren’t major media markets. (It’s not impossible to make six figures right out of college, but it’s hardly common.)
| CATEGORY | AVERAGE | 10TH % | 25TH % | 50TH % | 75TH % | 90TH % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Public relations managers | $159,420 | $76,160 | $99,180 | $134,760 | $191,840 | ≥ $239,200 |
| Advertising and promotion managers | $152,620 | $63,580 | $88,810 | $131,870 | $188,530 | ≥ $239,200 |
| Digital communication managers | $146,320 | $67,370 | $97,990 | $133,560 | $174,510 | $225,120 |
| Fundraising managers | $133,620 | $68,800 | $86,880 | $119,200 | $162,660 | $212,730 |
| Web and digital interface designers | $108,820 | $48,210 | $66,020 | $98,540 | $139,500 | $176,490 |
| Producers and directors | $107,170 | $42,040 | $58,540 | $82,510 | $128,040 | $174,540 |
| News analysts, reporters, and journalists | $101,430 | $31,550 | $38,160 | $57,500 | $91,890 | $160,360 |
| Writers and authors | $87,590 | $40,900 | $52,660 | $73,690 | $100,990 | $148,240 |
| Broadcast announcers and radio DJs | $86,950 | $24,400 | $30,920 | $44,890 | $66,070 | $127,560 |
| Technical writers | $86,620 | $48,630 | $62,060 | $80,050 | $102,260 | $129,440 |
| Editors | $85,110 | $38,790 | $51,810 | $75,020 | $101,100 | $138,920 |
| Film and video editors | $83,470 | $38,990 | $48,920 | $66,600 | $101,910 | $154,480 |
| Public relations specialists | $77,720 | $38,570 | $50,280 | $66,750 | $92,290 | $126,220 |
| Fundraisers | $70,760 | $39,440 | $49,560 | $64,160 | $83,120 | $106,700 |
| Health education specialists | $69,790 | $39,630 | $48,210 | $62,860 | $83,800 | $107,920 |
| Photographers | $53,380 | $28,510 | $32,240 | $40,760 | $62,480 | $95,740 |
| Proofreaders and copy markers | $51,100 | $31,730 | $37,940 | $48,790 | $59,090 | $75,510 |
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2023)
Certain positions in digital communication, public relations, and advertising might bump you up a tax bracket, especially at the management level. Advertising managers and public relations managers see average salaries a bit north of $150K, for example; digital communication managers are not far behind that mark.
In terms of traditional journalism jobs, the average salary data above point to news analysts/reporters/journalists as the most lucrative job category — but this comes with a caveat. While that category sees an average salary just over $100K, it’s worth noting that the median average salary — the dollar amount at which there is an equal number of people earning more and less than that — is $57,500. That would indicate that the top earners in the category are seriously skewing the average salary figure.
Most journalism jobs require some type of journalism degree, which includes instruction in, among other things, conducting interviews, news writing, and media ethics.
A bachelor’s degree explores the discipline more broadly and usually takes four years to complete. If you want to further specialize in a certain area or pursue an advanced career in research or academia, or as a senior leader in an organization, you can acquire a master’s degree or doctorate.
An associate degree also may help you break into the field or be sufficient if you already have some experience.
Some journalism students also get a double major , minor, or certificate in a related or complementary field, such as communications, business, political science, or sport recreation and management.
Many people think that learning how to conduct an interview and write a news story are the only things taught in a journalism program. Most types of journalism degree programs will teach you how to find and report the news, but they don’t stop there.
Along with developing professional skills, you’ll also study the historical, cultural, legal, and institutional roles that communication and media play in society. You may take classes in subjects such as visual communication and design, strategic communication, sports writing, health care or nonprofit communication, content marketing, political public relations, and video or audio production.
Modern journalism programs also continually add new courses to keep current with the revolutions and technologies changing the media landscape. For example, journalism programs are currently exploring how artificial intelligence fits into the industry and empowering their students to use AI responsibly.
Skills you may gain from a journalism degree program include:
“A good journalism program teaches you how to write clearly and concisely. And writing well will take you far in today’s world. When I work with students majoring in sport and recreation management, I often recommend that they take a journalism class. Because if your writing skills aren’t honed, it’s going to set you back," says Brandee Britt, director of social media and digital strategy for University of Iowa Athletics. "Journalism programs also teach professionalism. Journalism is one of the few majors that actively have you go out and talk to people in the community. If you can learn how to have a conversation with people, you’ll do well.”
