Graphic Communications at Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, IL · Bachelor's Degree · about 212 graduates a year

$26,309
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$43,970
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$43,283
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#29 of 59
Rank by pay
#32 of 59
Rank, wage-adjusted
$20,000
Median federal debt

Columbia College Chicago graduates in graphic communications earn 2% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 45% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Columbia College Chicago Compares for Graphic Communications

All 59 colleges reporting graphic communications earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA$79,432$72,278#2$49,029
2Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA$76,522$69,630#5—
3Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL$75,213$80,055#1$44,048
4Brigham Young University Provo, UT$73,941$70,079#4$38,725
5Baker College Owosso, MI$67,583$71,258#3$74,387
6Roger Williams University Bristol, RI$61,887$60,952#7—
7University of Minnesota-Duluth Duluth, MN$61,062$58,327#10$36,557
8University of Wisconsin-Stout Menomonie, WI$59,621$62,039#6$48,744
9University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD$58,759$51,568#17$46,581
10University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA$58,163$52,925#14$25,358
…
26SUNY College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill Cobleskill, NY$44,661$42,508#35$19,120
27Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI$44,116$46,515#22$30,059
28University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA$44,066$46,352#23$36,419
29Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL$43,970$43,200#32$26,309
30Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN$43,745$41,786#37$24,427
31Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA$43,058$44,574#29$23,451
32Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX$42,579$43,290#31—

Other Majors at Columbia College Chicago by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$66,798$39,794#61 of 178
Marketing$65,686$36,386#280 of 516
Business Administration, Management and Operations$56,482$34,798#920 of 1176
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$54,357$24,191#53 of 158
Journalism$51,639$31,369#126 of 187
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management$50,592$23,844#17 of 43
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies$49,593$25,999#158 of 207
Design and Applied Arts$48,601$29,630#191 of 299
American Sign Language$45,619$33,775#10 of 20
Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies$44,703—#90 of 103
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians$43,731$20,927#16 of 19
Fine and Studio Arts$42,176$22,765#194 of 423
Dance$41,842—#26 of 58
Film/Video and Photographic Arts$41,200$23,905#102 of 144
Music$40,734$19,943#174 of 268
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft$39,986$17,929#130 of 255
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies$39,751$25,060#116 of 137

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Columbia College Chicago graphic communications graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $26,309 one year after graduating and $43,970 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Columbia College Chicago rank for graphic communications?

Among 59 colleges reporting earnings for graphic communications graduates, Columbia College Chicago ranks #29 by median pay four years after graduation, and #32 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is graphic communications at Columbia College Chicago worth it?

Its graduates earn 2% more than the national median for graphic communications ($43,283), and the median federal debt at graduation is $20,000.

← All data for Columbia College Chicago · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.