If you want a degree that holds potential for many different sectors, you might consider pursuing a communications major. Communications professionals make a difference in business, government, publishing, sales, and other fields.
There’s a growing demand for trained communicators, so a bachelor’s degree in communication could be the first step toward a rewarding career.
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If you are a strong writer or speaker, you may appreciate how this degree program builds on your natural abilities to get you workforce-ready.
Should I Major in Communications?
As an incoming college freshman, you’ll find that there’s no shortage of majors to consider. Communications is a popular major, so it’s an option that you might come across time and again. Communications touches nearly every area of life, and earning a degree in this field can help you develop a set of in-demand skills.
Topics you’ll likely study in a communications program include branding, storytelling, and online media. You can explore effective communication strategies using speech, text, videos, and graphics. The courses in a communications program will often cover working in groups, in organizations, and with people of diverse backgrounds. To cap off your studies, you may gain hands-on experience during a professional internship.
How will these lessons benefit you? Here are some of the top reasons students choose to study communications in college:
- Diverse skill set. Communications majors can gain skills that are useful in a vast number of sectors, including business, journalism, media, advertising, and government.
- Management opportunities. If you learn your stuff and work hard, you may find a number of opportunities for career advancement. Potential leadership roles include marketing manager, public relations manager, and chief communications officer.
- Promising job growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in media and communications will experience 14% growth over the next ten years.
- Salary potential. Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that media and communications workers earn a median annual salary of $62,340. Some management roles may even bring in six-figure incomes.
- Timely applications. The world is more connected than ever before, and communications professionals are essential in the modern world.
Even still, a communication major isn’t for everyone. You might find this field of study most satisfying if it’s a good fit for your natural strengths and personality. You might enjoy communications if you have a way with words, are gifted at the art of persuasion, and like public speaking. Creativity, research skills, and being a team player can help as well.
If you decide to major in communications, your degree could lead to many different jobs. Examples of communications career paths include marketing specialist, newspaper editor, speechwriter, and public relations manager. Some professionals also become journalists, event planners, or social media directors.
Communications Major Careers & Salaries
Do you want to work in media, business, politics, or sales? A communications degree could help prepare you for work in any one of those fields.
Studying communications can help you grasp the art of public speaking and delivering presentations. For that reason, some graduates go on to be speechwriters or public relations specialists. Some PR professionals go into a specialized line of work, such as being a press secretary for a politician. Other public relations employees eventually become public relations managers.
Communications graduates can also be skilled at delivering written messages. Accordingly, they may become journalists, authors, or technical writers. Book or newspaper editing is a related option as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median yearly salary for media and communication occupations is $62,340.
| Careers | Annual Median Salaries |
| Advertising, Promotions, and Marketing Managers | $133,380 |
| Public Relations and Fundraising Managers | $119,860 |
| Technical Writers | $78,060 |
| Writers and Authors | $69,510 |
| Market Research Analysts | $63,920 |
| Editors | $63,350 |
| Public Relations Specialists | $62,800 |
| Film and Video Editors | $62,680 |
| Advertising Sales Agents | $52,340 |
| News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists | $48,370 |
While the above table lists a variety of popular jobs for communications majors, it’s far from exhaustive. Communications studies can lead to many different jobs in all sorts of sectors. You might find yourself working in business, industry, education, healthcare, government, media, or another area entirely.
The lessons learned in this major can also apply to visual forms of communication. Some graduates work with film or video. Advertising specialists may also need visual communication skills. Those with artistic prowess might prefer to work in graphic design. Communications programs usually develop students’ interpersonal abilities as well. Those who are persuasive communicators may find success in the world of sales.
Communications studies also emphasize research and analytics. These skills are especially beneficial for market research analysts. With experience, that role might lead to opportunities in marketing management.
How to Know If a Bachelors Degree in Communications Is Right for You
Do the job paths associated with a communications degree sound appealing to you? If so, you may be strongly considering the idea of majoring in communications.
To help you decide, you may want to consider these characteristics that many successful communications professionals share. If a number of them describe you, then a degree in communications might be a fitting choice.
- Availability to participate in internships
- Enthusiasm about hands-on projects
- Interest in taking classes from adjacent fields, such as business or psychology
- Love for writing or public speaking
- Motivation to keep your career moving forward
- Openness to trying new things that may be out of your comfort zone
- Ability to multitask and be organized
- Ability to research and think critically
- Willingness to accept criticism and use it for growth
Success in communications doesn’t require having every single one of these traits. There are a wide variety of jobs that fall under the communications umbrella, and different roles call on different strengths.
What Is a Communication Major?
A communication major is a 120 credit college program that addresses strategies for delivering messages. Communications students study written, oral, visual, and digital methods of sharing information or persuading audiences.
The curriculum for this degree will challenge you to think creatively and strategically. You may improve your ability to persuade others or plan effective communications campaigns. Developing interpersonal skills can be another focus area.
Communications is influential in many different fields. For example, this degree can be beneficial for careers in public relations, writing, marketing, journalism, and sales.
What Can You Do with a Communications Degree?
A number of professionals who decide to major in communications go into the journalism field. They might work as reporters or news editors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, journalists commonly work for television stations, radio stations, and newspapers.
Another job path to consider is public relations. PR professionals tend to work for a business or an individual. Social media coordinator and press secretary are two specific roles in the public relations category. Marketing jobs might be an option as well. The ability to analyze data could help you qualify to work as a market research analyst.
Some graduates of communications degree programs choose to continue their educations in master’s in media studies online or on-campus programs.
Is Communications an Easy Major?
In a communication degree program, you’ll take courses that cover topics like brand management and communications for business settings. Other classes may cover social media strategies, public relations principles, and research techniques.
Your assignments might include speeches, written compositions, and projects featuring visual media. It’s common for communications programs to include a lot of teamwork-focused group projects as well. In addition, there may be an internship required. During an internship, you can work in a supervised setting to gain hands-on experience. You’ll likely receive both guidance and correction from an internship supervisor.
What Skills Will You Learn with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications?
Because communications is such a diverse field, you can develop a variety of skills during your studies:
- Clarity in speech and writing
- Confident decision-making
- Creative brainstorming
- Critical, analytical thinking
- Diligent research
- Persuasion
- Professional communication
- Team cooperation
If there’s a specific area in which you want to hone your skills, you may want to pursue a degree concentration. For example, if you want to learn news editing, you might consider choosing a journalism track.
What Jobs Can I Get with a Degree in Communications?
Some communications graduates decide to pursue careers in politics, filling roles as press secretaries, speechwriters, or campaign managers. Other communication majors choose jobs in publishing. They might work with books, newspapers, or magazines. Positions in publishing include reporter, author, technical writer, and editor.
Film is another field that interests many communications students. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says that a bachelor’s degree in communications could help qualify someone for a job in film and video editing. Writing scripts could be another option.
What’s the Difference Between a Bachelors in Communications vs. Marketing Degree?
A communications degree could prepare you for a marketing career, but you could also major specifically in marketing.
| Communications | Marketing |
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If you want to develop your expertise in both disciplines, there are marketing and communications (MarCom) degrees that incorporate principles from both fields into one combined program.
Is Communications a Good Major?
Yes, communications is a good major for many undergraduate students. Communications skills are relevant and in-demand.
Significant job growth is predicted for this field over the next decade. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that, over the next ten years, there will be a 14% increase in the number of media and communications positions. That’s significantly higher than the 8% increase that’s expected across all job categories.
Majoring in communications could position you well for some of the jobs that will be opening up. You may have opportunities in business, politics, sales, journalism, and other fields in which messaging plays a critical role.
Getting Your Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Online
Communications is an area of study with the potential to take you in countless directions. For instance, if you want to become an editor, a journalist, a press secretary, or an advertising manager, majoring in communications could help you develop relevant skill sets.
In a communications program, you can grow into a stronger speaker and writer. Through assignments and internships, you can learn how to become a team player who uses creativity and critical thinking. Many accredited universities offer communications degree online programs as well as ones on campus. Digital coursework can be a strategic way to get a college degree and prepare for modern work environments.
If you’re wanting to develop versatile skill sets for this growing field, you can start exploring on-campus or online mass communications degree programs from accredited schools to find the program that best aligns with your interests.
