WhatGradsMake
Bachelor's+5% vs national median1,318 grads tracked

Communication and Media Studies at SUNY Cortland

Ranked 55th of 307 bachelor's programs in Communication and Media Studies by 5-year earnings.

Median · 1 year out
$37,717
middle 50%: $28,313 – $49,785
Median · 5 years out
$61,332
middle 50%: $45,208 – $80,674
Median · 10 years out
$79,855
middle 50%: $58,150 – $109,210

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

Graduates of SUNY Cortland's bachelor's program in Communication and Media Studies earn a median $37,717 one year after graduating, rising to $79,855 by year ten. Five years out, earnings run 5% above the national median of $58,421 for this field, ranking 55th of 307 reporting programs.

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
7.1 yrs
≈ $8,395 total interest

Same major at other universities

Metropolitan State University
$62,349 · 5 yrs out
Purdue University
$62,246 · 5 yrs out
University of Hartford
$62,075 · 5 yrs out
Radford University
$61,994 · 5 yrs out
Fitchburg State University
$61,879 · 5 yrs out
State University of New York at Buffalo
$61,394 · 5 yrs out
Christopher Newport University
$61,241 · 5 yrs out
CUNY Queens College
$61,202 · 5 yrs out
University of Missouri - Columbia
$61,040 · 5 yrs out
University of Northwestern- St Paul
$61,003 · 5 yrs out
University of Houston - Victoria
$61,003 · 5 yrs out
Oregon State University
$60,945 · 5 yrs out

Other majors at SUNY Cortland

Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Business/Managerial Economics (Bachelor's)
$69,943 · 5 yrs out
Special Education and Teaching (Bachelor's)
$69,527 · 5 yrs out
Biology, General (Bachelor's)
$67,536 · 5 yrs out
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Bachelor's)
$66,839 · 5 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Bachelor's)
$66,741 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics (Bachelor's)
$66,619 · 5 yrs out
Biological and Biomedical Sciences (Bachelor's)
$66,110 · 5 yrs out
Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language (Bachelor's)
$65,986 · 5 yrs out
Education (Master's)
$65,697 · 5 yrs out
Criminology (Bachelor's)
$65,514 · 5 yrs out

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