Communication and Media Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Bachelor's Degree · about 225 graduates a year

$44,309
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$66,106
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$56,359
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#83 of 660
Rank by pay
#154 of 660
Rank, wage-adjusted
$20,500
Median federal debt

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University graduates in communication and media studies earn 17% more than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 31% of one year’s pay at that point.

How Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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
…
80University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL$66,439$65,276#70$37,808
81James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA$66,436$60,496#146$42,769
82Saint Mary's College Notre Dame, IN$66,335$71,165#21$32,322
83Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA$66,106$60,196#154$44,309
84Queens University of Charlotte Charlotte, NC$65,985$70,811#27$36,279
85Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN$65,517$70,288#34$41,409
86Norwich University Northfield, VT$65,497$67,271#52$37,161

Other Majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Computer and Information Sciences$144,103$96,432#19 of 459
Computer Engineering$122,026$86,636#33 of 189
Applied Mathematics$117,990$82,275#8 of 45
Industrial Engineering$116,641$82,437#5 of 94
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$108,726$77,877#16 of 126
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering$106,633$76,856#9 of 59
Chemical Engineering$106,011$82,382#25 of 158
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering$104,839$83,364#63 of 258
Finance and Financial Management Services$102,902$66,601#38 of 452
Construction Engineering$102,699$82,627#5 of 13
Engineering Mechanics$101,509$81,735—
Accounting and Related Services$99,528$70,303#54 of 796
Mechanical Engineering$96,376$78,280#70 of 318
Real Estate$95,576$68,078#7 of 25
Business/Managerial Economics$95,271—#13 of 84
Construction Management$95,165$76,246#23 of 57
Mining and Mineral Engineering$94,397$74,793#5 of 7
Statistics$94,300$62,598#20 of 50
Physics$92,746$58,061#18 of 107
Economics$92,653$56,261#92 of 368
Materials Engineering$90,828$66,888#20 of 34
Agricultural Engineering$88,315$75,434#8 of 26
Civil Engineering$88,142$74,285#73 of 233
Marketing$86,338$56,417#43 of 516
Engineering-Related Fields$81,618$56,513#30 of 33
Food Science and Technology$80,161$56,274#5 of 29
Business Administration, Management and Operations$80,023$60,678#140 of 1176
Political Science and Government$75,687$42,114#59 of 565
Architecture$75,074$56,708#12 of 78
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,005$25,414#1 of 50

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University communication and media studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $44,309 one year after graduating and $66,106 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University rank for communication and media studies?

Among 660 colleges reporting earnings for communication and media studies graduates, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University ranks #83 by median pay four years after graduation, and #154 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is communication and media studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University worth it?

Its graduates earn 17% more than the national median for communication and media studies ($56,359), and the median federal debt at graduation is $20,500.

← All data for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and 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.