Communication and Media Studies graduates from Emerson College earn $46,040 median salary, below the national average for this program.
Communication and Media Studies at Emerson College
Boston, Massachusetts • Master's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Communication and Media Studies at Emerson College
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Emerson College and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Communication and Media Studies at the master's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 23 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Emerson College, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $46,040 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $72,935 across all institutions offering Communication and Media Studies, graduates here earn below the national average for this program. Across all programs at Emerson College, the mean median-earnings figure is $59,218, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. Median federal debt is not separately reported for this program at this school. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.
Earnings Comparison
Program Details
Debt & ROI
Communication and Media Studies at Other Schools
| School | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $120,003 | $73,250 |
| Northwestern University | $116,101 | $55,813 |
| Johns Hopkins University | $107,409 | $39,737 |
| Northeastern University | $97,115 | - |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | $97,115 | - |
| American University | $94,424 | $51,250 |
| University of Southern California | $91,873 | $70,426 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | $88,174 | - |
| Wayne State University | $87,918 | $33,381 |
| University of Florida | $86,823 | $29,671 |
Other Programs at Emerson College
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | $93,412 | $41,000 |
| Marketing | $76,623 | $21,500 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $74,005 | $54,435 |
| Journalism | $63,337 | $23,610 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and Services | $61,496 | $26,000 |
| Publishing | $61,304 | $44,360 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | $59,301 | $23,719 |
| Communication and Media Studies | $59,202 | $23,717 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $57,493 | $41,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies | $56,485 | $61,500 |
Other Schools with Communication and Media Studies
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About the Data
Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.
PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.