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Types of Degrees Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many communication sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 11,757 |
| Master’s Degree | 10,063 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 1,066 |
| Graduate Certificate | 299 |
| Associate Degree | 210 |
| Basic Certificate | 129 |
| Undergraduate Certificate | 34 |
What Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to communication sciences and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.
Knowledge Areas for Communication Sciences Majors
Communication Sciences majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Therapy and Counseling - Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
Skills for Communication Sciences Majors
When studying communication sciences, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Abilities for Communication Sciences Majors
A major in communication sciences will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
What Can You Do With a Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with communication sciences:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Audiologists | 20.3% | $75,920 |
| Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
| Speech-Language Pathologists | 17.8% | $77,510 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in ?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of communication sciences majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 567 |
| Black or African American | 609 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 2,293 |
| White | 7,575 |
| International Students | 93 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 620 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Communication Sciences, too. About 0.8% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Canada
- Saudi Arabia
- China
- South Korea
- India
How Much Do Majors Make?
Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $80,700 to $122,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to communication sciences. This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to
Some careers associated with communication sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to communication sciences have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 0.7% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 1.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 3.0% |
| Master’s Degree | 47.4% |
| Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 7.8% |
| First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. | 1.2% |
| Doctoral Degree | 33.4% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 5.8% |
Online Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
| Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 8 | 2 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 3 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 35 | 6 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 29 | 9 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
| Master’s Degree | 323 | 10 |
| Post-Master’s | 7 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 92 | 1 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 75 | 2 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 4 | 1 |
Is a Degree in Worth It?
The median salary for a communication sciences grad is $82,210 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 106% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $846,200 after 20 years!
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Majors Related to
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to communication sciences.
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Ghozt Tramp under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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