Bachelor's+14% vs national median5,949 grads tracked
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Ranked 19th of 355 bachelor's programs in Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs by 5-year earnings.
Median · 1 year out
$41,642
middle 50%: $30,395 – $53,606
Median · 5 years out
$67,323
middle 50%: $49,298 – $90,162
Median · 10 years out
$90,304
middle 50%: $62,065 – $135,846
Salary trajectory
Median earnings vs the national median for Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs (bachelor's) graduates.
This program (median)National median, same major & degreeMiddle 50% of graduates
UW-Madison Communication graduates earn a median of $42k initially. By year five, salaries hit $67k, and they reach $90k by year ten.
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
6.4 yrs
≈ $7,578 total interest
Same major at other universities
University of Richmond
$72,014 · 5 yrs out
Utah Valley University
$69,615 · 5 yrs out
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
$69,419 · 5 yrs out
Penn State World Campus
$69,154 · 5 yrs out
James Madison University
$68,505 · 5 yrs out
Pennsylvania State University (The)
$68,164 · 5 yrs out
Saint John's University
$67,226 · 5 yrs out
Texas A&M University
$67,174 · 5 yrs out
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
$67,123 · 5 yrs out
University of Massachusetts at Boston
$66,946 · 5 yrs out
University of Colorado Boulder
$66,932 · 5 yrs out
University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
$66,885 · 5 yrs out
Other majors at University of Wisconsin - Madison
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Doctorate)
$227,440 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Doctorate)
$191,060 · 5 yrs out
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (Master's)
$179,858 · 5 yrs out
Medicine (Doctorate)
$176,530 · 5 yrs out
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Doctorate)
$153,901 · 5 yrs out
Health Professions and Related Programs (Doctorate)
$153,036 · 5 yrs out
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctorate)
$143,232 · 5 yrs out
Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Administration (Bachelor's)
$140,310 · 5 yrs out
Engineering (Doctorate)
$139,926 · 5 yrs out
Mathematics and Statistics (Doctorate)
$134,767 · 5 yrs out
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services (Master's)
$133,218 · 5 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's)
$127,595 · 5 yrs out
Related fields of study
Communication and Media Studies
Compare universities
Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
Compare universities
Journalism
Compare universities
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
Compare universities
Publishing
Compare universities
Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
Compare universities