by our College Data Analytics TeamGeneral Journalism was the 69th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 11,380 degrees in this year alone. This represents a 8.4% reduction in journalism degrees awarded over the prior year's total of 12,336.
This year's Best General Journalism Schools ranking compares 213 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of journalism programs later in this article.
When studying Journalism, you’ll learn that understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs. Required skills include communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience and giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
general journalism degree applicants generally need have finished high school or their GED. Many schools may also have GPA and SAT/ACT score minimums that must be met. In addition to these basic general journalism program qualifications, to serve in some journalism careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.
There are various different levels of journalism degrees. You can spend many years getting as high as a in general journalism to something that takes less time like a . The type of journalism degree you choose will determine how long it takes to get your diploma.
| Degree | Credit Requirements | Typical Program Length |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 60-70 credits | 2 years |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 120 credits | 4 years |
| Master’s Degree | 50-70 credits | 1-3 years |
| Doctorate | Program required coursework including thesis or dissertation | At least 4 years |
A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to journalism, with approximately 60.1% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for journalism workers below.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Degree | 61.5% |
| Master’s Degree | 18.6% |
| Some College Courses | 6.0% |
| High School Diploma | 4.3% |
| Doctoral Degree | 3.3% |
87.0% of journalism workers have at least a bachelor's. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in general journalism have obtained.
This of course varies depending on which journalism career you choose.
Want a job when you graduate with your journalism degree? General Journalism careers are expected to grow 2.0% between 2016 and 2026.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to general journalism.
| Occupation Name | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Writers and Authors | 141,200 | 7.6% |
| Editors | 125,600 | -1.4% |
| Reporters and Correspondents | 40,200 | -10.1% |
| Communications Professors | 37,500 | 10.0% |
| Broadcast News Analysts | 5,600 | -1.8% |
As you might expect, salaries for journalism graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.
Salaries for general journalism graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers journalism grads often go into.
| Occupation Name | Median Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Broadcast News Analysts | $91,990 |
| Communications Professors | $78,090 |
| Writers and Authors | $73,090 |
| Editors | $69,480 |
| Reporters and Correspondents | $55,530 |
With over 660 different journalism degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased journalism school rankings to help you with this.
General Journalism is one of 5 different types of Journalism programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Other Journalism | 1,134 |
| Broadcast Journalism | 881 |
| Photojournalism | 144 |
| Business and Economic Journalism | 7 |
| Science/Health/Environmental Journalism | 6 |
