Median Starting Salaries (by Institution): Journalism
Salary (by major) data was collected from the U.S. Department of Education’s (USDOE) College Scorecard platform and indicates the median salary of an institution’s graduates two years after receiving their bachelor’s degree in journalism, along with the number of graduates per institution for which the USDOE has salary data. Since the USDOE focuses only on early-career salaries, we limit the salary tables on our Dataverse to “pre-professional” majors where students are more likely to pursue employment immediately after graduation (e.g., as opposed to attending graduate school) and within their undergraduate field of study.
*Note that the USDOE is not able to disclose salary data by major for all institutions offering a major in this area. For example, if a group of individuals within a certain institution is too small, the USDOE must suppress salary data in order to prevent identification of the group’s individuals.
Table Updated December 2023
| Institution | # Graduates | Median Starting Salary | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 131469 | George Washington University | 47 | $47,260 | GWU |
| 129020 | University of Connecticut | 52 | $44,276 | UConn |
| 233374 | University of Richmond | 11 | $43,426 | UR |
| 147767 | Northwestern University | 107 | $43,100 | |
| 123961 | University of Southern California | 66 | $42,682 | USC |
| 234207 | Washington and Lee University | 20 | $42,682 | W&L |
| 121309 | Point Loma Nazarene University | 12 | $41,937 | |
| 167358 | Northeastern University | 40 | $41,565 | |
| 102553 | University of Alaska Anchorage | 13 | $41,565 | |
| 204796 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | 61 | $40,393 | OSU |
| 174066 | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | 305 | $40,298 | UMN |
| 100858 | Auburn University | 37 | $39,585 | |
| 240444 | University of Wisconsin-Madison | 158 | $39,585 | UW Madison |
| 163286 | University of Maryland-College Park | 132 | $39,559 | UMD |
| 198516 | Elon University | 28 | $39,369 | |
| 111948 | Chapman University | 33 | $39,153 | |
| 151351 | Indiana University-Bloomington | 220 | $39,134 | IU; IUB |
| 165662 | Emerson College | 109 | $38,953 | |
| 223232 | Baylor University | 100 | $38,906 | |
| 121150 | Pepperdine University | 11 | $38,871 | |
| 204024 | Miami University-Oxford | 42 | $38,829 | |
| 126614 | University of Colorado Boulder | 162 | $38,721 | CU Boulder |
| 110422 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | 45 | $38,649 | |
| 196097 | Stony Brook University | 32 | $38,289 | |
| 154235 | Saint Ambrose University | 14 | $38,289 | |
| 191649 | Hofstra University | 77 | $38,289 | |
| 164988 | Boston University | 90 | $38,289 | BU |
| 228875 | Texas Christian University | 36 | $38,289 | |
| 178396 | University of Missouri-Columbia | 296 | $38,197 | Mizzou |
| 139861 | Georgia College & State University | 66 | $38,018 | GCSU |
| 228778 | The University of Texas at Austin | 162 | $37,980 | UT; UT Austin |
| 130226 | Quinnipiac University | 48 | $37,856 | |
| 155317 | University of Kansas | 109 | $37,808 | KU |
| 171100 | Michigan State University | 94 | $37,624 | MSU |
| 104151 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | 268 | $37,415 | ASU |
| 122597 | San Francisco State University | 55 | $37,208 | SFSU |
| 106397 | University of Arkansas | 131 | $36,884 | |
| 213598 | Lincoln University | 16 | $36,852 | |
| 127060 | University of Denver | 16 | $36,852 | UD |
| 230728 | Utah State University | 51 | $36,668 | |
| 228246 | Southern Methodist University | 36 | $36,560 | SMU |
| 153269 | Drake University | 36 | $36,560 | |
| 196413 | Syracuse University | 95 | $36,308 | |
| 196176 | State University of New York at New Paltz | 44 | $36,085 | |
| 153603 | Iowa State University | 81 | $35,986 | ISU |
| 139959 | University of Georgia | 174 | $35,877 | UGA |
| 204857 | Ohio University-Main Campus | 270 | $35,843 | OU |
| 153658 | University of Iowa | 159 | $35,772 | UI |
| 131159 | American University | 53 | $35,772 | |
| 104179 | University of Arizona | 83 | $35,594 | |
| 145637 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | 79 | $35,546 | UIUC |
| 170082 | Grand Valley State University | 12 | $35,420 | |
| 172644 | Wayne State University | 29 | $35,330 | |
| 110583 | California State University-Long Beach | 157 | $35,060 | |
| 150136 | Ball State University | 250 | $35,060 | BSU |
| 212106 | Duquesne University | 24 | $35,060 | |
| 228769 | The University of Texas at Arlington | 20 | $35,060 | UT |
| 227216 | University of North Texas | 293 | $35,021 | UNT |
| 110617 | California State University-Sacramento | 43 | $34,847 | |
| 238032 | West Virginia University | 245 | $34,823 | WVU |
| 102049 | Samford University | 31 | $34,704 | |
| 240365 | University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | 14 | $34,704 | |
| 134130 | University of Florida | 144 | $34,704 | UF |
| 240471 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls | 13 | $34,704 | |
| 110538 | California State University-Chico | 72 | $34,298 | |
| 181394 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | 83 | $34,259 | |
| 181002 | Creighton University | 30 | $33,993 | |
| 240727 | University of Wyoming | 13 | $33,993 | |
| 239105 | Marquette University | 29 | $33,993 | |
| 151111 | Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis | 69 | $33,993 | IUPUI |
| 213543 | Lehigh University | 11 | $33,993 | |
| 207041 | East Central University | 13 | $33,993 | |
| 203517 | Kent State University at Kent | 79 | $33,850 | |
| 195164 | St Bonaventure University | 51 | $33,565 | |
| 187985 | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | 63 | $33,565 | UNM |
| 236948 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | 37 | $33,565 | UW |
| 218663 | University of South Carolina-Columbia | 102 | $33,518 | USC |
| 221759 | The University of Tennessee-Knoxville | 112 | $33,459 | UTK |
| 240189 | University of Wisconsin-Whitewater | 67 | $33,459 | |
| 166629 | University of Massachusetts-Amherst | 61 | $33,281 | UMass Amherst |
| 191968 | Ithaca College | 47 | $33,192 | |
| 216278 | Susquehanna University | 15 | $33,176 | |
| 207500 | University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus | 86 | $33,138 | |
| 240268 | University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | 21 | $33,138 | |
| 183062 | Keene State College | 13 | $32,925 | |
| 106458 | Arkansas State University | 29 | $32,925 | |
| 216339 | Temple University | 196 | $32,888 | |
| 182290 | University of Nevada-Reno | 128 | $32,862 | UNR |
| 214777 | Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus | 139 | $32,634 | PSU; Penn State |
| 157401 | Murray State University | 16 | $32,569 | |
| 184782 | Rowan University | 47 | $32,569 | |
| 155399 | Kansas State University | 55 | $32,467 | KSU |
| 131520 | Howard University | 77 | $32,467 | |
| 176372 | University of Southern Mississippi | 24 | $32,391 | |
| 127565 | Metropolitan State University of Denver | 57 | $32,391 | |
| 128771 | Central Connecticut State University | 11 | $32,382 | |
| 229115 | Texas Tech University | 31 | $32,284 | |
| 126818 | Colorado State University-Fort Collins | 133 | $32,245 | CSU |
| 181464 | University of Nebraska-Lincoln | 104 | $32,010 | UNL |
| 127741 | University of Northern Colorado | 46 | $31,914 | |
| 145813 | Illinois State University | 36 | $31,851 | ISU |
| 196194 | State University of New York at Oswego | 23 | $31,839 | |
| 157085 | University of Kentucky | 53 | $31,783 | UK |
| 110608 | California State University-Northridge | 238 | $31,676 | |
| 190512 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College | 38 | $31,581 | |
| 186399 | Rutgers University-Newark | 128 | $31,374 | |
| 186380 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | 128 | $31,374 | RU |
| 122409 | San Diego State University | 16 | $31,305 | SDSU |
| 139940 | Georgia State University | 315 | $31,183 | GSU |
| 200332 | North Dakota State University-Main Campus | 17 | $31,133 | NDSU |
| 122755 | San Jose State University | 25 | $30,771 | SJSU |
| 207263 | Northeastern State University | 15 | $30,771 | |
| 144740 | DePaul University | 72 | $30,771 | |
| 237011 | Western Washington University | 61 | $30,650 | |
| 144281 | Columbia College Chicago | 109 | $30,635 | |
| 190549 | CUNY Brooklyn College | 42 | $30,554 | |
| 216010 | Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania | 83 | $30,554 | |
| 209551 | University of Oregon | 140 | $30,409 | UO |
| 197869 | Appalachian State University | 32 | $30,305 | App State; ASU |
| 196219 | SUNY at Purchase College | 47 | $30,305 | |
| 201441 | Bowling Green State University-Main Campus | 24 | $30,228 | |
| 225511 | University of Houston | 84 | $30,119 | UH |
| 219356 | South Dakota State University | 24 | $30,119 | SDSU |
| 171571 | Oakland University | 46 | $29,956 | |
| 230038 | Brigham Young University | 44 | $29,685 | BYU |
| 106704 | University of Central Arkansas | 18 | $29,685 | |
| 174358 | Minnesota State University Moorhead | 15 | $29,685 | |
| 196060 | SUNY at Albany | 35 | $29,685 | |
| 203845 | Marietta College | 11 | $29,685 | |
| 135726 | University of Miami | 29 | $29,685 | UM; UMiami |
| 196246 | SUNY College at Plattsburgh | 32 | $29,685 | |
| 142285 | University of Idaho | 11 | $29,685 | UI |
| 176017 | University of Mississippi | 38 | $29,685 | Ole Miss |
| 157951 | Western Kentucky University | 81 | $29,685 | WKU |
| 143358 | Bradley University | 14 | $29,461 | |
| 237525 | Marshall University | 48 | $29,413 | |
| 169798 | Eastern Michigan University | 25 | $29,322 | |
| 105330 | Northern Arizona University | 30 | $29,322 | NAU |
| 147703 | Northern Illinois University | 44 | $29,250 | NIU |
| 220862 | University of Memphis | 84 | $29,202 | |
| 163453 | Morgan State University | 90 | $29,202 | |
| 157447 | Northern Kentucky University | 81 | $29,183 | |
| 100751 | The University of Alabama | 42 | $29,141 | |
| 141574 | University of Hawaii at Manoa | 21 | $29,141 | |
| 110653 | University of California-Irvine | 36 | $29,141 | UCI; UC Irvine |
| 232265 | Hampton University | 72 | $28,236 | |
| 196121 | SUNY Brockport | 81 | $28,236 | |
| 133650 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | 64 | $28,236 | Florida A&M |
| 207388 | Oklahoma State University-Main Campus | 17 | $28,212 | |
| 146719 | Loyola University Chicago | 26 | $28,055 | LUC |
| 224554 | Texas A & M University-Commerce | 13 | $27,978 | |
| 188030 | New Mexico State University-Main Campus | 57 | $27,784 | NMSU |
| 206941 | University of Central Oklahoma | 71 | $27,753 | |
| 110097 | Biola University | 32 | $27,669 | |
| 235316 | Gonzaga University | 28 | $27,397 | |
| 179566 | Missouri State University-Springfield | 24 | $27,377 | |
| 149222 | Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | 67 | $27,301 | |
| 141334 | University of West Georgia | 124 | $27,203 | |
| 233277 | Radford University | 70 | $27,126 | |
| 139931 | Georgia Southern University | 23 | $27,048 | |
| 172699 | Western Michigan University | 12 | $26,933 | |
| 196158 | SUNY at Fredonia | 19 | $26,739 | |
| 213020 | Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus | 32 | $26,739 | IUP |
| 117140 | University of La Verne | 11 | $26,739 | |
| 190637 | CUNY Lehman College | 23 | $26,353 | |
| 212160 | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | 16 | $26,353 | |
| 180489 | The University of Montana | 66 | $26,353 | |
| 201885 | University of Cincinnati-Main Campus | 14 | $26,353 | Cincy |
| 215442 | Point Park University | 46 | $25,658 | |
| 217484 | University of Rhode Island | 32 | $25,658 | URI |
| 169248 | Central Michigan University | 62 | $25,194 | |
| 195809 | St. John's University-New York | 43 | $25,194 | |
| 110547 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | 16 | $25,194 | |
| 132903 | University of Central Florida | 17 | $25,194 | UCF |
| 144892 | Eastern Illinois University | 16 | $23,803 | |
| 102368 | Troy University | 14 | $23,761 | |
| 115755 | California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt | 42 | $23,340 | |
| 149772 | Western Illinois University | 18 | $22,578 | |
| 157058 | Kentucky State University | 18 | $22,578 | |
| 140960 | Savannah State University | 72 | $22,245 | |
| 207209 | Langston University | 11 | $21,508 | |
| 201690 | Central State University | 32 | $21,508 | |
| 139719 | Fort Valley State University | 36 | $20,687 | |
| 106467 | Arkansas Tech University | 25 | $20,140 | |
| 235097 | Eastern Washington University | 12 | $20,140 | |
| 228459 | Texas State University | 31 | $19,749 | |
| 130493 | Southern Connecticut State University | 11 | $19,455 | |
| 190691 | CUNY York College | 16 | $15,922 |
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