Bachelor's-6% vs national median2,592 grads tracked
Communication and Media Studies at University of North Carolina at Wilmington (The)
Ranked 144th of 307 bachelor's programs in Communication and Media Studies by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$35,054
middle 50%: $25,677 – $45,527
Median · 5 years out
$54,841
middle 50%: $41,549 – $74,346
Median · 10 years out
$68,838
middle 50%: $49,587 – $99,950
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Communication and Media Studies (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
Media Studies graduates at UNC Wilmington earn $35k median in their first year. This grows to $55k at five years and $69k at ten years.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau PSEO, release V4.13.0 2025Q4. Earnings are for graduates working in covered states; figures are medians in nominal dollars.
Will the degree pay for itself?
Drag the sliders — payback uses this program's actual salary curve.
Assumes a 6.5% APR loan and this program's median salary trajectory (interpolated between years 1, 5 and 10).
Paid off in
7.8 yrs
≈ $9,334 total interest
Same major at other universities
Southern Utah University
$55,297 · 5 yrs out
Lewis University
$55,228 · 5 yrs out
College of Saint Scholastica
$55,111 · 5 yrs out
Western Connecticut State University
$55,073 · 5 yrs out
Utah Tech University
$54,970 · 5 yrs out
University of Indianapolis
$54,955 · 5 yrs out
Pennsylvania State University (The) - Greater Allegheny
$54,679 · 5 yrs out
University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse
$54,527 · 5 yrs out
University of Hawaii at Manoa
$54,430 · 5 yrs out
University of Northern Iowa
$54,392 · 5 yrs out
South Dakota State University
$54,333 · 5 yrs out
Georgia State University
$54,260 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at University of North Carolina at Wilmington (The)
Health Professions and Related Programs (Master's)
$115,854 · 5 yrs out
Education (Doctorate)
$105,799 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$103,276 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$96,423 · 5 yrs out
Statistics (Bachelor's)
$93,054 · 5 yrs out
Computer Science (Bachelor's)
$90,755 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Bachelor's)
$88,696 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Clinical Sciences, Other (Bachelor's)
$83,719 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)
$80,156 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Master's)
$79,121 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's)
$78,439 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Bachelor's)
$75,042 · 5 yrs out
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