What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Communication and Media Studies
Communication and Media Studies is tracked across 112 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the certificate credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.
Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $46,872, calculated from 6 schools with published earnings data. The earnings distribution stretches from $27,798 at the low end to $68,990 at the top, with a 25th-75th percentile band between $37,679 and $53,531 around a median of $47,296. The top-reporting institution in this program is University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus at $68,990. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.
Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal — ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where Communication and Media Studies graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.
Full Sail University accounts for 82.4% of all Communication and Media Studies certificate credential graduates
That concentration — well above the 5% national median for largest-entity share — means Communication and Media Studies-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. That school produced 636 graduates in the most recent cohort, anchoring a meaningful slice of national supply for this field. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Communication and Media Studies certificate credential median earnings varies 2.5× across entities
Communication and Media Studies certificate credential median earnings ranges from $27,798 (lowest) to $68,990 (highest), a spread of $41,192. That spread reflects typical sectoral variation between selective research institutions and broader access institutions. Earnings are measured roughly one year after completion using IRS records linked to federal aid recipients (see https://www.irs.gov/) — not all completers are captured, but the school-level medians correlate strongly with longer-term earnings trajectories.
Communication and Media Studies debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.36 — low (typically associated with graduates earn substantially more than they borrowed, which is the College Scorecard standard signal for affordability — a ratio under 0.5 means a year of post-completion earnings would clear half the federal-loan principal)
debt-to-earnings ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: this ratio uses federal loan principal, not all education debt — private loans, parent PLUS loans not in the borrower’s name, and institutional debt are excluded Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
How much do Communication and Media Studies graduates earn? ▼
Communication and Media Studies graduates earn $46,872 on average across 112 schools. Earnings range from $27,798 to $68,990 depending on the institution.
Which school pays the most for Communication and Media Studies? ▼
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus has the highest reported median earnings for Communication and Media Studies graduates at $68,990, based on College Scorecard data.
What credential do you get in Communication and Media Studies? ▼
Communication and Media Studies programs typically award a Certificate credential. Earnings vary by school and credential level.
Top Schools for Communication and Media Studies
Closest schools offering this program — compare earnings side by side
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.