San Diego State University Communications: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$61,389

U.S. median for this major: $54,283.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

$37,773

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$15,675

About 26% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$15,364 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $27,780. College Scorecard.

Communications at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Communications graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

Rank	College	Earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt	Avg. net price	Graduation
1	Santa Clara University	$84,206	$18,500	$50,062	88%
2	University of Southern California	$75,864	$17,702	$32,740	92%
3	University of California-Berkeley	$75,612	$11,180	$13,481	93%
4	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$75,223	$14,928	$16,665	86%
5	Chapman University	$73,461	$19,500	$46,555	82%
6	University of California-Santa Barbara	$72,976	$13,018	$16,109	83%
7	University of California-Davis	$72,778	$13,000	$14,741	86%
8	Loyola Marymount University	$69,144	$19,500	$48,381	79%
9	University of San Diego	$68,913	$25,000	$30,365	84%
10	Sonoma State University	$68,833	$17,129	$12,885	58%
11	University of San Francisco	$68,592	$23,250	$41,431	70%
12	Woodbury University	$68,020	—	$33,692	60%
13	University of California-San Diego	$67,302	$14,568	$12,470	86%
14	University of La Verne	$66,891	$22,500	$20,161	63%
15	Saint Mary's College of California	$64,456	$23,250	$30,378	70%
16	San Francisco State University	$63,731	$15,000	$12,278	50%
17	Westmont College	$62,535	$23,250	$29,053	70%
18	California Lutheran University	$61,653	$21,897	$30,109	70%
19	San Diego State University	$61,389	$15,675	$15,364	76%
20	California Baptist University	$60,883	$25,126	$26,285	62%
21	University of the Pacific	$60,666	$20,485	$25,447	69%
22	California State University-San Marcos	$59,842	$16,500	$10,229	55%
23	California State University-Sacramento	$59,404	$15,000	$9,338	56%
24	California State University-Channel Islands	$59,332	$13,750	$9,849	51%
25	California State University-Chico	$58,391	$17,098	$14,480	63%
26	California State University-Long Beach	$58,137	$13,953	$10,440	69%
27	California State University-Fullerton	$58,082	$13,000	$6,555	70%
28	California State University-East Bay	$57,708	$18,250	$9,320	48%
29	The Master's University and Seminary	$57,507	$22,250	$32,647	68%
30	California State University-Dominguez Hills	$57,478	$17,043	$8,615	43%
31	California State University-Northridge	$57,138	$13,999	$7,021	57%
32	Concordia University-Irvine	$56,388	$25,000	$28,115	58%
33	California State Polytechnic University-Pomona	$56,278	$14,267	$11,531	68%
34	California State University-Stanislaus	$54,007	$17,125	$6,067	53%
35	Biola University	$53,781	$21,937	$31,495	68%
36	California State University-Fresno	$51,788	$15,000	$7,000	57%
37	California State University-Bakersfield	$50,989	—	$5,652	50%
38	California State University-San Bernardino	$49,171	$15,750	$4,564	55%
39	Point Loma Nazarene University	$47,092	$21,500	$38,729	77%

20 more California colleges offer Communications but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Communications graduates

Public relations specialist

San Diego area$81,240

California$85,030

U.S.$74,750

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +1.8% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Fundraisers

San Diego area$76,300

California$79,710

U.S.$72,550

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.5% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Editors

San Diego area$78,870

California$98,030

U.S.$77,920

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -1.1% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at San Diego State University, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About San Diego State University

Acceptance rate: 36% · admissions
Graduation rate: 76% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $64,909
Full cost breakdown · all 79 majors · overview

Related majors at San Diego State University

San Diego State University Communications questions

How much do San Diego State University Communications graduates earn?

Communications graduates of San Diego State University earn a median $61,389 four years after graduating and $37,773 one year after. The U.S. median for Communications graduates across 639 colleges is $54,283.

How much debt do San Diego State University Communications graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Communications graduates of San Diego State University is $15,675, about 26% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does San Diego State University rank for Communications in California?

Of 39 California colleges reporting Communications graduate earnings, San Diego State University ranks 19th. The highest is Santa Clara University at $84,206.

What jobs do Communications graduates get?

A common career is public relations specialist, with a median wage of $81,240 in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area and $74,750 nationally. Others include fundraisers and editors.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “San Diego State University Communications: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/san-diego-state-university/majors/communications (College Scorecard and BLS data).

San Diego State University Communications: earnings, debt & careers