What can you do with a communication degree?

This article was updated on January 2, 2024.

It's no surprise that a communication degree is essential to learning the skills necessary for a job in the communication field. If you know you want to work in journalism, social media or a related field, earning a communication degree is a great way to prepare for your new career.

But which specific jobs are likely to be available to new grads? Below, we explore what you can expect to learn with a Bachelor of Science in Communication degree and a few of the potential careers that may be available to you.

Earning a communication degree allows you to pursue a broader range of options, including careers in technical writing, copywriting, editing, public relations, marketing. For instance, after earning their degree, a communication student might go on to work in public relations or media relations, or be a reporter, editor, copywriter, or perhaps a combination of the above. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, a technical writer can earn roughly $72,850.[1] BLS projections are not specific students or graduates of University of Phoenix.

A Bachelor of Science in Communication degree can can teach you the writing and editing skills that can be applied in a number of industries, including advertising, public relations, copywriting and editing. In publishing, employers seek candidates with strong PR skills and, of course, writing and editing skills, even for entry-level positions.

Editors can demonstrate their value to a company through their communication skills, particularly in communicating with journalists, book reviewers, authors, agents and other clients. Editorial assistants also use their editing skills and social media savviness to work their way up to junior editor or managing/senior editor status.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, an editor could expect to earn about $61,370 with a Bachelor of Science in Communication. BLS projections are not specific students or graduates of University of Phoenix.

Copywriters are every company's secret weapon. They may write social media posts, press releases, website content and often every public-facing word produced by the company. Many copywriters may also pursue a career as a content marketer, which generally focuses on writing marketing copy for public consumption, especially each page of text on a company's website.

Copywriters with a communication degree may also find themselves writing for large corporations, either as B2B copywriters (attracting other businesses to your employer) or general copywriters, hoping to build web traffic and attention for the company.

A copywriter might also look for careers as an author, including in areas like ghostwriting (writing a book published under an expert's name, for instance). Copywriters with a communication degree can also be full-time freelance journalists or reporters. The BLS says the average copywriter earns about $1,000 a week, just over $52k per year, while writers and authors typically make about $11,000 more.

As a communication specialist, you might spend your days drafting responses to Yelp reviews or leading a large company's communication strategy. Communication specialists may become event planners or managers, work in a company’s advertising department and even direct advertising efforts. The options for communication specialists are almost limitless within a company and can include other major responsibilities. A communication specialist role might be perfect for you if you want to work in a range of departments and on a variety of communication tasks to build your portfolio and resume.

A media relations specialist is similar to a communication specialist. As a media relations specialist, your job title might be media relations manager, public relations or even press liaison. Expect to build a rolodex or personal list of your media contacts since the best public relations managers spend time on and off the clock nurturing these contacts into strong, professional relationships they can call on in a myriad of ways. Other everyday tasks include carefully drafted emails requesting interviews with your high-profile CEO, as well as requests to be quoted (or listed as an unnamed spokesperson) in media reports about your company.

Do you envision yourself standing in front of a bank of microphones and TV cameras, helping a brand launch its new products or defend it in press interviews? Then being a media relations specialist may be the ideal career for you. Best of all, the average salary as a public relations specialist will probably be in the $61,500 range, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Taking the plunge and signing up for an online communication degree program may scare you a bit at first. To help guide you, we've put together short, easy-to-remember answers to Frequently Asked Questions about pursuing a communication degree below.