The average salary for a communications major is $54,721 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Communications majors will usually choose between entering job market quickly or spending more time in school earning a graduate degree. Communications majors who have an undergraduate degree with any kind of specialization can make up to or over $100,000 per year.
The average salary for a communications major is around $50,000.
Average salary for communications major
Communications majors are in high demand and may be best suited for a career in PR or advertising. A communications major could also be a good choice if you’re interested in a career as a writer, editor or speech writer. If you choose to pursue an advanced degree, such as an MBA, you can also increase your earning potential.
- *Hint**: You’ll notice that the section’s outlines start with a number (like `Section: 1.`). This is because they are ordered lists! You can see this when we pass them into markdown (there is the numbers 1 through 6 followed by the rest of the text).
Median annual salary: $58,110
- $58,110 – Median annual salary
- $27.79 per hour – Average hourly wage
- $64,100 – Top 10% annual salary
- $14.55 per hour – Bottom 10% hourly wage
Bottom 10% annual salary: $33,130
The bottom 10% of annual salaries for communications majors is $33,130. This is the lowest salary that you can expect to earn working as a communications major, and it’s frequently used as a benchmark for the minimum salary.
However, it’s important to note that this figure does not necessarily reflect what most professionals in your field are earning on average. The bottom 10% of earners often pull low salaries because they lack experience or education in their chosen field; therefore, their low earnings are not representative of the typical high school graduate who has graduated from high school and completed some post-secondary education or training program in communications studies (and then taken an entry-level position).
Top 10% annual salary: $113,430
If you’re in the top 10% of your class, then congratulations! You’ll make around $113,430 a year. However, this is still the low end of the salary range—the lowest 10% earns only $46,070 annually while those at the top earn an average of $187,500 per year.
The median annual salary for communications majors is $58,110. This figure represents 50% of communications majors who graduated between 2010 and 2015 and earned an annual wage within this range during their first five years out of college or university.
Projected job growth through 2020: 6%
Communications majors can expect to see a 6% average growth in jobs through 2020, which is slightly higher than the 5% projected for the communications industry as a whole. By contrast, other industries may struggle with 2% or even 10% growth during that period—or they may not be growing at all!
How to increase your earning potential
If you plan to work in communications, here are some steps you can take to increase your earning potential:
- Get a graduate degree. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to education and salary, but in general higher levels of education mean higher paychecks.
- Get a certification. If you want to earn more as an entry-level employee, consider getting certified in specific skills or knowledge areas related to your chosen industry and field of study.
- Look for jobs outside major cities and industries where salaries tend to be lower (like the medical field). You may have to relocate if it’s not possible to find a job that pays well near where you live now; however, many people who relocate enjoy better quality of life than they would otherwise have experienced because they get paid more money than they would make at home
A communications major could be a good choice if you are interested in a career in PR or advertising.
Communications majors could be a good choice if you’re interested in a career in PR or advertising. PR involves managing the flow of information between an organization and the public, while advertising promotes products or services to consumers. Both professions require strong writing skills, but they also involve public speaking and graphic design, so communications majors have all the tools they need.
On average, people with communications degrees make $58K per year (though this number can vary by location). The amount of money earned after college depends on what type of job you do as well as how much experience you have under your belt—and those who go into higher-paying fields like law or consulting will likely see an increase in pay over time.
Communication majors may be looking for careers as writers, editors, speech writers or community outreach specialists.
A communications major may find a career as a writer, editor, speech writer, or community outreach specialist. These professionals develop written messages for their organizations and can be found working in PR agencies or marketing departments of companies. The average salary for this type of job is around $51k per year as of August 1st 2019. The expected growth rate over the next ten years is 6%. This means there will be plenty of opportunities for new jobs to be created within this field.
The level you would start off on depends on what type of company you work for and your experience level in the field. If you are just starting out with no prior work experience then it’s best to get an entry-level position with little pay but high growth opportunities ahead! Usually these positions require between 0-2 years worth at most depending on experience level required (or sometimes none).
Communications-related careers tend to pay better than average as well.
The average salary for a communications major is $68,000. However, as we’ve discussed before, the average doesn’t tell us anything about what you can expect to make in your career. If you’re working with an agency or start-up that needs people with your expertise and training, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be earning more than the average starting salary of $60k.
Communications jobs that require extra education and training tend to pay higher salaries.
Communications majors who want to earn higher salaries can pursue advanced degrees.
- A master’s degree in communications can lead to higher-paying jobs. A master’s degree typically requires two years’ worth of education and coursework, while a PhD may require six or more years. In some cases, individuals with advanced degrees are able to command starting salaries that are $10,000 or more per year than those who only hold bachelor’s degrees. For example, a communications major who obtains both a BA and MA could expect to earn roughly $70K per year on average (according to U.S. News & World Report).
- Certain positions require doctoral degrees in communication studies; these types of positions often come with high paychecks because they require extensive training and experience as well as expertise in researching complicated subjects like political science and business management techniques . Other careers that may require doctoral-level education include law school professorships or university faculty positions where you oversee graduate students conducting research projects at universities around the world!
A communications degree provides a solid grounding for many different fields.
Communications is a broad field that provides a solid grounding for many different fields. A communications degree can open up the door to working in government, business and non-profits, media production and publishing, marketing and advertising, public relations, and more. Here are some examples of careers you can pursue with a communications degree:
- Writer – You might be reporting or writing news stories or opinion pieces for newspapers, websites or magazines. Or perhaps you’ll be working as an editor at one of these places.
- Marketing manager – In charge of promoting products or services by creating ads and marketing campaigns that will drive sales and increase brand awareness through social media channels like Facebook or Twitter (and maybe even Snapchat!).
- Public relations specialist – This person might work for an agency representing corporations who need help connecting with consumers so they buy their products/services rather than competitors’. He/she could also work directly on behalf of clients—for instance developing strategies around branding so they appeal better to specific audiences such as millennials interested in sustainable living practices versus Baby Boomers who grew up during WWII years when recycled materials were scarce due food shortages during wartime production efforts (which means old folks have nostalgia against something like this).
Conclusion
If you’re considering a communications degree, it can be helpful to know how much money graduates might earn when they enter the workforce. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has compiled data on the average salary for a number of different communications-related occupations. They also project job growth for each occupation and provide information about the top employers, geographic locations with the highest employment levels, and typical educational requirements. For example, here are some careers related to speech communication: public relations specialist, broadcast news analyst, executive director of nonprofit organization (based on average salaries from 2013).
