Communication and Media Studies at Cornell University

Ithaca, NY · Bachelor's Degree · about 64 graduates a year

$62,182
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$88,463
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,359
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#3 of 660
Rank by pay
#4 of 660
Rank, wage-adjusted
$14,400
Median federal debt

Cornell University graduates in communication and media studies earn 57% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 16% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Cornell University Compares for Communication and Media Studies

All 660 colleges reporting communication and media studies 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
1University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia, PA$114,266$116,210#1$53,022
2Northwestern University Evanston, IL$93,541$91,903#2$52,210
3Cornell University Ithaca, NY$88,463$84,198#4$62,182
4Santa Clara University Santa Clara, CA$84,206$76,622#11$51,720
5Boston College Chestnut Hill, MA$83,586$73,606#15$55,162
6Villanova University Villanova, PA$81,497$82,883#7$52,294
7Boston University Boston, MA$80,306$70,718#30$47,349
8Northeastern University Boston, MA$80,191$70,617#31$47,465
9Northeastern University Professional Programs Boston, MA$80,191$70,617#32$47,465
10University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI$79,648$83,980#5$50,556

Other Majors at Cornell University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$223,309$152,656#3 of 349
Operations Research$151,709$96,377—
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$147,241$100,516#4 of 258
Agricultural Business and Management$145,218$92,163#1 of 77
Computer and Information Sciences$144,389$103,650#18 of 459
Economics$137,935$84,967#12 of 368
Mathematics$134,455$87,251#7 of 309
Engineering$128,207—#2 of 57
Public Policy Analysis$126,767$77,906#1 of 34
Biomathematics, Bioinformatics, and Computational Biology$124,242$78,358—
Physics$118,649$50,933#2 of 107
Chemical Engineering$116,165$85,578#4 of 158
Human Resources Management and Services$112,713$73,436#1 of 187
Hospitality Administration/Management$112,289$77,803#1 of 137
Mechanical Engineering$112,212$85,440#9 of 318
Statistics$111,090$82,531#8 of 50
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering$103,016$69,558#1 of 46
Agricultural Engineering$99,600$54,435#1 of 26
Area Studies$96,976$43,831#1 of 70
Political Science and Government$95,391$60,292#7 of 565
Apparel and Textiles$94,967—#1 of 57
Civil Engineering$91,242$80,261#47 of 233
Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics$89,275$33,419#4 of 225
Biological and Biomedical Sciences$85,883$38,841#3 of 17
Food Science and Technology$84,147$64,062#2 of 29
History$82,031$44,706#9 of 459
Chemistry$79,311$28,372#22 of 209
Psychology$78,049$36,630#6 of 1027
Sociology$73,200$36,709#9 of 462
Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services$73,066$38,401#1 of 172

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Cornell University communication and media studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $62,182 one year after graduating and $88,463 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Cornell University rank for communication and media studies?

Among 660 colleges reporting earnings for communication and media studies graduates, Cornell University ranks #3 by median pay four years after graduation, and #4 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is communication and media studies at Cornell University worth it?

Its graduates earn 57% more than the national median for communication and media studies ($56,359), and the median federal debt at graduation is $14,400.

← All data for Cornell University · 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.