Communication and Media Studies at Appalachian State University

Boone, NC · Bachelor's Degree · about 52 graduates a year

$38,331
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$55,307
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,359
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#297 of 660
Rank by pay
#179 of 660
Rank, wage-adjusted
$19,500
Median federal debt

Appalachian State University graduates in communication and media studies earn 2% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 35% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Appalachian State 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
…
294Pennsylvania State University-World Campus University Park, PA$55,505$56,449#268$34,181
295Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI$55,353$58,363#211$31,913
296South Dakota State University Brookings, SD$55,345$59,573#169$39,173
297Appalachian State University Boone, NC$55,307$59,352#179$38,331
298Rowan University Glassboro, NJ$55,277$48,516#510$34,549
299Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA$55,245$63,950#83$38,426
300CUNY Hunter College New York, NY$55,182$52,522#391$29,054

Other Majors at Appalachian State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer Science$97,670$68,675#186 of 349
Management Information Systems and Services$87,041$56,650#66 of 166
Accounting and Related Services$85,580$55,671#171 of 796
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$83,033$56,340#67 of 126
Physics$82,399—#41 of 107
Insurance$82,306$55,611#13 of 21
Construction Management$80,257$59,809#54 of 57
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$78,943$69,420#764 of 966
Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians$76,914——
Finance and Financial Management Services$75,396$52,004#252 of 452
International Business$72,852$43,989#64 of 115
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians$69,956$47,333—
Marketing$69,439$42,999#195 of 516
Economics$67,285$33,742#301 of 368
Health and Medical Administrative Services$66,227$37,911#84 of 275
Business Administration, Management and Operations$64,932$44,126#583 of 1176
Mathematics$62,271$40,856#237 of 309
Apparel and Textiles$58,516$36,945#28 of 57
Chemistry$58,329$40,488#169 of 209
Geography and Cartography$58,289$41,648#55 of 117
Linguistic, Comparative, and Related Language Studies and Services$55,778$24,657#23 of 90
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$55,671$36,559#135 of 178
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness$55,594$24,829#233 of 610
Criminal Justice and Corrections$55,474$35,796#310 of 660
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication$55,235$23,532#51 of 158
Political Science and Government$54,344$30,096#447 of 565
Design and Applied Arts$53,543$34,722#140 of 299
Food Science and Technology$53,369$38,743#28 of 29
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences$53,269$35,021#116 of 138
Biology$53,228$29,946#595 of 841

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Appalachian State University communication and media studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $38,331 one year after graduating and $55,307 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Appalachian State University rank for communication and media studies?

Among 660 colleges reporting earnings for communication and media studies graduates, Appalachian State University ranks #297 by median pay four years after graduation, and #179 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is communication and media studies at Appalachian State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 2% less than the national median for communication and media studies ($56,359), and the median federal debt at graduation is $19,500.

← All data for Appalachian State 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.