College ROI

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Communication and Media Studies.

Master's Degree86 Institutions
Institution
State
Earnings
Avg Net PriceMedian Debt
Lifetime Value Added
Stanford University
Stanford
CA
$170,213
5yr Post-Grad
$12,136
/yr
-
+$1014k
Columbia University in the City of New York
New York
NY
$147,928
5yr Post-Grad
$20,148
/yr
$73,250
+$810k
Northwestern University
Evanston
IL
$104,690
5yr Post-Grad
$27,143
/yr
$55,813
+$430k
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore
MD
$101,413
5yr Post-Grad
$18,161
/yr
$39,737
+$418k
American University
Washington
DC
$104,844
5yr Post-Grad
$41,945
/yr
$51,250
+$404k
Seton Hall University
South Orange
NJ
$99,645
5yr Post-Grad
$28,921
/yr
-
+$383k
Westminster University
Salt Lake City
UT
$98,552
5yr Post-Grad
$26,536
/yr
-
+$378k
University of Southern California
Los Angeles
CA
$96,903
5yr Post-Grad
$31,927
/yr
$70,426
+$354k
California State University-Fullerton
Fullerton
CA
$87,316
5yr Post-Grad
$5,646
/yr
$20,343
+$320k
George Washington University
Washington
DC
$90,709
5yr Post-Grad
$37,454
/yr
-
+$291k
California State University-Northridge
Northridge
CA
$80,979
5yr Post-Grad
$7,599
/yr
$31,023
+$262k
Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston
MA
$78,181
5yr Post-Grad
-
/yr
-
+$252k
San Diego State University
San Diego
CA
$81,064
5yr Post-Grad
$16,174
/yr
-
+$247k
Purdue University-Main Campus
West Lafayette
IN
$79,601
5yr Post-Grad
$13,945
/yr
$34,280
+$239k
Queens University of Charlotte
Charlotte
NC
$81,750
5yr Post-Grad
$27,786
/yr
$48,500
+$232k
University of Florida
Gainesville
FL
$74,884
5yr Post-Grad
$6,351
/yr
$29,671
+$212k
Florida International University
Miami
FL
$74,742
5yr Post-Grad
$9,133
/yr
$34,653
+$206k
University of Denver
Denver
CO
$80,469
5yr Post-Grad
$36,037
/yr
$47,481
+$205k
Weber State University
Ogden
UT
$70,456
2yr Post-Grad
$10,722
/yr
-
+$203k
Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw
GA
$76,078
5yr Post-Grad
$16,972
/yr
-
+$203k
Trinity Washington University
Washington
DC
$73,997
5yr Post-Grad
$12,233
/yr
-
+$193k
Washington State University
Pullman
WA
$74,440
5yr Post-Grad
$14,401
/yr
$26,714
+$193k
Northeastern University
Boston
MA
$78,181
5yr Post-Grad
$32,116
/yr
-
+$193k
New York University
New York
NY
$76,505
5yr Post-Grad
$35,035
/yr
-
+$173k
San Jose State University
San Jose
CA
$66,077
2yr Post-Grad
$13,741
/yr
-
+$157k
National University
San Diego
CA
$71,817
5yr Post-Grad
$31,058
/yr
$28,604
+$140k
Wayne State University
Detroit
MI
$67,681
5yr Post-Grad
$14,773
/yr
$33,381
+$134k
Texas State University
San Marcos
TX
$66,385
5yr Post-Grad
$16,438
/yr
$20,500
+$120k
Lasell University
Newton
MA
$67,988
5yr Post-Grad
$24,944
/yr
$30,634
+$118k
Dallas Baptist University
Dallas
TX
$68,864
5yr Post-Grad
$30,092
/yr
-
+$116k
Texas Tech University
Lubbock
TX
$66,438
5yr Post-Grad
$20,071
/yr
$24,641
+$114k
Webster University
Saint Louis
MO
$67,594
5yr Post-Grad
$26,196
/yr
$48,635
+$113k
Illinois State University
Normal
IL
$65,027
5yr Post-Grad
$18,996
/yr
$19,775
+$103k
Georgia State University
Atlanta
GA
$63,653
5yr Post-Grad
$15,931
/yr
$29,242
+$97k
Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Scottsdale
AZ
$60,331
5yr Post-Grad
-
/yr
$26,250
+$96k
Emerson College
Boston
MA
$69,644
5yr Post-Grad
$46,766
/yr
-
+$92k
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
Fort Collins
CO
$63,088
5yr Post-Grad
$20,332
/yr
-
+$83k
Sacred Heart University
Fairfield
CT
$68,099
5yr Post-Grad
$45,459
/yr
$35,500
+$82k
Marquette University
Milwaukee
WI
$64,169
5yr Post-Grad
$29,237
/yr
-
+$77k
Arizona State University Campus Immersion
Tempe
AZ
$60,331
5yr Post-Grad
$13,670
/yr
$26,250
+$71k
Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Carbondale
IL
$59,866
5yr Post-Grad
$16,177
/yr
-
+$62k
DePaul University
Chicago
IL
$62,356
5yr Post-Grad
$29,141
/yr
-
+$61k
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Edinburg
TX
$57,537
5yr Post-Grad
$6,500
/yr
-
+$58k
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College
Baton Rouge
LA
$59,455
5yr Post-Grad
$20,015
/yr
-
+$51k
Portland State University
Portland
OR
$54,661
2yr Post-Grad
$12,932
/yr
-
+$51k
Troy University
Troy
AL
$57,483
5yr Post-Grad
$13,869
/yr
$31,500
+$44k
Quinnipiac University
Hamden
CT
$62,165
5yr Post-Grad
$39,207
/yr
-
+$40k
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles
MO
$57,392
5yr Post-Grad
$18,516
/yr
$30,750
+$35k
Walden University
Minneapolis
MN
$53,701
5yr Post-Grad
-
/yr
$38,500
+$35k
San Francisco State University
San Francisco
CA
$52,941
2yr Post-Grad
$12,882
/yr
-
+$34k
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento
CA
$52,107
2yr Post-Grad
$10,512
/yr
-
+$30k
Governors State University
University Park
IL
$54,105
5yr Post-Grad
$9,477
/yr
-
+$21k
Ithaca College
Ithaca
NY
$55,338
2yr Post-Grad
$32,965
/yr
-
+$21k
La Salle University
Philadelphia
PA
$52,107
2yr Post-Grad
$21,409
/yr
-
+$10k
The New School
New York
NY
$61,791
5yr Post-Grad
$55,359
/yr
$53,304
+$7k
Northern Arizona University
Flagstaff
AZ
$52,842
5yr Post-Grad
$14,922
/yr
-
-$671
University of Central Missouri
Warrensburg
MO
$51,598
5yr Post-Grad
$15,336
/yr
-
-$13k
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles
CA
$46,087
2yr Post-Grad
$4,113
/yr
$30,250
-$18k
University of Hartford
West Hartford
CT
$49,644
2yr Post-Grad
$29,558
/yr
-
-$29k
University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio
TX
$50,899
5yr Post-Grad
$20,498
/yr
-
-$29k
California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach
CA
$44,971
2yr Post-Grad
$8,931
/yr
-
-$38k
The University of Texas at San Antonio
San Antonio
TX
$44,971
2yr Post-Grad
$11,234
/yr
-
-$42k
Pace University
New York
NY
$47,260
2yr Post-Grad
$31,046
/yr
-
-$56k
University of Louisville
Louisville
KY
$44,747
2yr Post-Grad
$17,634
/yr
-
-$56k
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg
PA
$45,696
2yr Post-Grad
$23,553
/yr
-
-$58k
University of South Florida
Tampa
FL
$43,054
2yr Post-Grad
$10,043
/yr
-
-$60k
Austin Peay State University
Clarksville
TN
$43,798
2yr Post-Grad
$14,846
/yr
-
-$61k
Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore
MD
$44,942
2yr Post-Grad
$24,536
/yr
-
-$67k
Missouri State University-Springfield
Springfield
MO
$42,774
2yr Post-Grad
$17,502
/yr
-
-$76k
Eastern Michigan University
Ypsilanti
MI
$42,682
2yr Post-Grad
$17,084
/yr
-
-$76k
Regent University
Virginia Beach
VA
$45,378
5yr Post-Grad
$18,749
/yr
$45,435
-$79k
East Carolina University
Greenville
NC
$41,025
2yr Post-Grad
$16,514
/yr
-
-$92k
Academy of Art University
San Francisco
CA
$44,971
2yr Post-Grad
$39,778
/yr
-
-$95k
Ball State University
Muncie
IN
$40,467
2yr Post-Grad
$15,898
/yr
-
-$97k
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
Las Vegas
NV
$37,568
2yr Post-Grad
$10,011
/yr
-
-$116k
University of South Alabama
Mobile
AL
$38,289
2yr Post-Grad
$15,142
/yr
-
-$118k
Virginia Commonwealth University
Richmond
VA
$39,009
2yr Post-Grad
$19,452
/yr
-
-$118k
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham
AL
$38,289
2yr Post-Grad
$17,727
/yr
$34,167
-$122k
The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Knoxville
TN
$38,289
2yr Post-Grad
$18,109
/yr
-
-$123k
Regis College
Weston
MA
$38,289
2yr Post-Grad
$28,346
/yr
-
-$142k
Pittsburg State University
Pittsburg
KS
$33,993
2yr Post-Grad
$18,889
/yr
-
-$169k
Pratt Institute-Main
Brooklyn
NY
$39,369
2yr Post-Grad
$50,647
/yr
-
-$172k
Liberty University
Lynchburg
VA
$34,793
2yr Post-Grad
$29,552
/yr
$31,512
-$180k
Clark University
Worcester
MA
$31,423
2yr Post-Grad
$27,711
/yr
-
-$212k
Northern Illinois University
Dekalb
IL
$25,194
2yr Post-Grad
$12,909
/yr
-
-$250k
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs
CO
$21,964
2yr Post-Grad
$16,431
/yr
-
-$291k
Analysis Notes:
  • Lifetime Value Added: Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate, accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes.
  • Avg Net Price: The average price paid by students who receive federal financial aid (grants/loans).
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.