Communication and Media Studies graduates from Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus earn $55,505 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $25,000.
Communication and Media Studies at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
University Park, Pennsylvania • Bachelor's
What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Communication and Media Studies at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Communication and Media Studies at the bachelor'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 115 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.
Median graduate earnings of $55,505 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 $54,750 across all institutions offering Communication and Media Studies, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus, the mean median-earnings figure is $81,056, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.
Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Communication and Media Studies graduates at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus is $25,000, which translates to roughly $208 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.45: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| University of Pennsylvania | $114,266 | $15,000 |
| Northwestern University | $93,541 | $17,687 |
| Cornell University | $88,463 | $14,400 |
| Santa Clara University | $84,206 | $17,832 |
| Boston College | $83,586 | $18,000 |
| Villanova University | $81,497 | $26,228 |
| Boston University | $80,306 | $23,250 |
| Northeastern University | $80,191 | $21,500 |
| Northeastern University Professional Programs | $80,191 | $21,500 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | $79,648 | $19,941 |
Other Programs at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
| Program | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | $166,387 | $41,000 |
| Information Science/Studies | $158,815 | $33,905 |
| Physics | $150,865 | - |
| Systems Engineering | $145,507 | $32,822 |
| Information Science/Studies | $141,703 | - |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $140,589 | - |
| Computer Engineering | $140,393 | $41,000 |
| Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods | $139,676 | $21,500 |
| Computational Science | $137,367 | $27,600 |
| Business/Commerce, General | $134,050 | - |
View all 207 programs at Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus →
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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.
Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.
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.