College journalism statistics show a broad academic field that includes journalism, broadcasting, digital media, public relations, advertising, and communication strategy. NCES recorded 10,809 journalism awards in 2018-19 and 8,844 in 2021-22, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 49,300 news analysts, reporters, and journalists in 2024.
Contents
- College communication and journalism awards
- Journalism and related specializations
- Changes across recent academic years
- Who works in journalism
- Industries and college majors
- Pay, education, and job outlook
College communication and journalism awards
The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reported 92,528 degrees and certificates in communication, journalism, and related programs during the 2018-19 academic year. The same NCES table recorded 32,704 awards for men and 59,824 for women. These figures cover the broader instructional program category, not journalism alone.
Within that category, NCES recorded 10,463 bachelor’s degrees in 2018-19. Men received 3,016 of those bachelor’s degrees, while women received 7,447. The category also included 583 master’s degrees: 250 awarded to men and 333 awarded to women.
The next two academic years show a similar broad pattern, with the total number of awards declining. NCES recorded 91,752 communication, journalism, and related awards in 2019-20, including 32,892 for men and 58,860 for women. That year included 10,588 bachelor’s degrees and 602 master’s degrees.
For 2020-21, NCES recorded 90,775 degrees and certificates in the broad category. The total included 10,805 bachelor’s degrees and 532 master’s degrees. Because these are awards rather than a count of currently enrolled students, they describe completed credentials reported for each academic year.
The longer academic-year comparison is useful for students considering the size of the overall field:
| Academic year | Communication, journalism, and related awards | Bachelor’s degrees | Master’s degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-19 | 92,528 | 10,463 | 583 |
| 2019-20 | 91,752 | 10,588 | 602 |
| 2020-21 | 90,775 | 10,805 | 532 |
| 2021-22 | 86,043 | Not stated in the supplied NCES figures | Not stated in the supplied NCES figures |
Source labels: NCES Digest 2020 Table 318.30, NCES Digest 2021 Table 318.30, NCES Digest 2022 Table 318.30, and NCES Digest 2023 Table 318.30. The linked NCES labels identify the source tables for the figures above.
Journalism and related specializations
Journalism is one part of the larger communication and media landscape. In 2018-19, NCES counted 10,809 journalism awards. The same year, broadcast journalism accounted for 824 awards, photojournalism for 117, and journalism, other for 667. Radio and television accounted for 4,631 awards.
The 2018-19 NCES figures also show several adjacent pathways. Digital communication and media/multimedia accounted for 4,700 awards. Public relations/image management accounted for 4,747, and advertising accounted for 4,605. Sports communication accounted for 306 awards, publishing for 28, and communication, journalism, and related programs, other for 971.
In 2019-20, journalism accounted for 10,258 awards. Broadcast journalism accounted for 774, photojournalism for 103, and journalism, other for 562. Radio and television accounted for 4,484 awards, while digital communication and media/multimedia accounted for 5,359.
The 2019-20 total also included 4,522 public relations/image management awards and 4,214 advertising awards. Sports communication accounted for 415 awards, communication management and strategic communications for 532, publishing for 47, and communication, journalism, and related programs, other for 649.
These categories help separate traditional reporting programs from neighboring fields. A student interested in newsroom work may encounter journalism or broadcast journalism, while another may choose digital media, public relations, sports communication, or strategic communications. The NCES counts are award totals for the named academic year, not forecasts of future enrollment.
Changes across recent academic years
NCES recorded 86,043 communication, journalism, and related awards in 2021-22. In that year, journalism accounted for 8,844 awards, including 648 in broadcast journalism, 88 in photojournalism, and 581 in journalism, other.
The 2021-22 figures show a substantial digital and strategic-communication presence within the broader field. Radio and television accounted for 4,214 awards, digital communication and media/multimedia for 6,046, public relations/image management for 4,081, and advertising for 4,075.
Other 2021-22 categories included 145 health communication awards, 629 sports communication awards, 1,044 communication management and strategic communications awards, 76 publishing awards, and 646 communication, journalism, and related programs, other awards.
The available NCES figures therefore describe several different layers of college journalism statistics. The broad program total was 92,528 awards in 2018-19, 91,752 in 2019-20, 90,775 in 2020-21, and 86,043 in 2021-22. The journalism category itself was 10,809 in 2018-19, 10,258 in 2019-20, and 8,844 in 2021-22. These are reported counts for those academic years; they do not by themselves explain why the totals changed.
The specialization figures also show that journalism education is not limited to one format. The 2021-22 total for digital communication and media/multimedia was 6,046, compared with 4,214 for radio and television and 648 for broadcast journalism. Those categories may represent different curricula and career interests, so they should not be treated as interchangeable credentials.
Who works in journalism
The Data USA occupation profile reported about 79.2 thousand news analysts, reporters, and journalists employed in 2024. In that profile, women represented 47.4% of the workforce and men represented 52.6%.
The largest age cohort was 25 to 29 years old, with 13,246 people. The second-largest cohort was 30 to 34, with 11,207 people, and the third-largest was 20 to 24, with 9,138 people. These figures describe the workforce in the Data USA profile for 2024, not the age distribution of journalism students.
The same Data USA profile reported that 11.1% of the occupation’s workforce was Hispanic, 70% was White, 10.8% was Black, and 9.07% was Two or More Races. Those categories are presented as workforce shares in the profile and are not a complete accounting of every possible race or ethnicity category in this article.
The gender counts in the NCES education data provide a different measurement from the gender shares in the Data USA occupation profile. NCES reported 32,704 awards for men and 59,824 for women across communication, journalism, and related programs in 2018-19. Data USA reported the composition of workers in the occupation in 2024. The two sources cover different populations and years, so the figures should be read separately.
Industries and college majors
Data USA reported that broadcasting and content providers employed 49.2% of the occupation’s workforce in 2024. Newspaper publishers employed 32.3%, while independent artists, writers, and performers employed 13.2%.
The occupation profile also identified the most common majors among workers. Communications was the most common major, with 32,376 people. English was second, with 6,922 people, and social sciences was third, with 6,805 people.
These major and industry figures show why the phrase “college journalism” can refer to more than a single degree title. Workers in the occupation may have studied communications, English, or social sciences, and the profile places them across broadcasting and content providers, newspaper publishers, and independent creative work. The figures describe the 2024 Data USA occupation profile rather than a required major for every journalist.
Pay, education, and job outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook (BLS OOH) reported 49,300 jobs for news analysts, reporters, and journalists in 2024. The occupation’s median annual wage was $60,280 in May 2024, and its median hourly wage was $28.98 in May 2024.
The BLS OOH lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for the occupation. It reports that workers typically need no prior work experience in a related occupation and no on-the-job training. Those are occupational summaries, not guarantees that every employer uses the same hiring standards.
The BLS OOH projected employment to change by negative 1,900 jobs from 2024 to 2034, corresponding to a projected job outlook of -4%. The same source projected about 4,100 openings each year on average from 2024 to 2034. The annual openings measure is distinct from the projected net employment change: it refers to openings expected on average, while the -1,900 figure describes the projected change in employment over the period.
For a prospective student, the figures put the degree and labor-market information side by side. NCES recorded thousands of awards across journalism and related programs, while BLS described a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for news analysts, reporters, and journalists. The BLS projections are estimates for 2024-34, and the wage figures are measured in May 2024; neither should be read as a promise of an individual salary or job outcome.
Source labels: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook and Data USA occupation profile. The BLS figures use the occupation label “news analysts, reporters, and journalists,” while the Data USA figures use the corresponding occupation profile described above.