How much do Communication and Media Studies graduate/professional certificate graduates from Purdue University-Main Campus earn?

The reported median is $85,278 four years after completion.

How much federal debt do graduates of this program have?

Federal debt is not reported for this cohort.

Is this program above or below similar programs?

Reported year-four earnings are 0% below the national median for the same field and degree level.

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COLLEGE + DEGREE OUTCOMES

Communication and Media Studies graduate/professional certificate at Purdue University-Main Campus

West Lafayette, IN · Public

What this page covers

Federal data group related majors at the same college and degree level. One record can include several named programs or concentrations.

The short version

Reported earnings are close to similar programs.

$119 below the national median for the same field and degree level.

Debt as a share of earnings: Not available
Highest price with a positive payoff: $357,780 / year
Modeled 10-year payoff: Withheld by data safeguards
Available price data: College-wide context only

OUTCOME SIGNALS

Graduate outcomes from several angles.

Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.

+12%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$67,808 → $75,918

Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

17Working in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort

58Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median

Not availableBorrowers representedCohort behind the debt median

Not availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credential

Not availableRecent awardsIPEDS 2024–25 first-major completions in this field and credential

NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT

Size, aid and an earnings floor.

The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.

Not reportedStudents receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment

Not reportedFederal-aid completers2024–25 program completers

Not reportedPell Grant recipients2024–25 program count

Not reportedFederal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count

60Graduates not recorded as employedHistorical federal cohort, three years after completion

Preliminary federal earnings benchmark$48,452Informational preview, not a final accountability result

Observed year-4 earnings$85,278$36,826 above the preliminary benchmark

Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student. Completion and employment measures use older cohorts shown above and are not combined into the payoff estimate.

GRADUATE-DEGREE BASELINE

$85,278 vs. $56,359

$28,919 above the national bachelor’s median in the same field.

Comparison basis673 bachelor’s program records

This is a cross-cohort benchmark, not the salary increase caused by earning this graduate credential. Your current earnings remain the correct baseline for personal ROI.

01 · PRICE CONTEXT$14,600

Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.

02 · BORROWINGNot available

Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.

03 · EARNINGS$85,278

Observed median earnings four full years after completion.

04 · REPAYMENTNot available

Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.

WHAT WILL IT COST?

Published college costs provide the starting point.

Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.

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AVERAGE NET PRICE$14,600Institution-wide annual figure

COST OF ATTENDANCE$24,591Institution-wide annual budget

ADMISSION RATE49.9%Institution context

COMPLETION RATE83.1%Institution-wide completion rate

WHAT DO GRADUATES EARN?

Reported earnings after completion.

Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.

$67,808Year 1

$85,278Year 4

$75,918Year 5

CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?

Repayment pressure is not available

Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.

Gross monthly earnings$7,107

Estimated loan paymentNot available

Not availableborrowers represented where reported

HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

$85,278 vs. $85,397

$119 below the national median for the same field and credential.

Same-field national median

WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?

Related occupations, wages and outlook.

Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.

BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.

Public Relations Managers$114,960 median wageIN estimate · 600 jobs · 11-2032$93,610–$154,830 middle 50% of IN wages+5.7% projected U.S. growth · 6,100 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeWriters and Authors$75,820 median wageIN estimate · 450 jobs · 27-3043$59,080–$90,590 middle 50% of IN wages-0.3% projected U.S. growth · 11,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeCommunications Teachers, Postsecondary$65,390 median wageIN estimate · 670 jobs · 25-1122$53,420–$84,680 middle 50% of IN wages+2.1% projected U.S. growth · 2,400 openings/yrTypical entry: Doctoral or professional degreePublic Relations Specialists$64,900 median wageIN estimate · 3,750 jobs · 27-3031$51,700–$83,480 middle 50% of IN wages+1.8% projected U.S. growth · 23,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeBroadcast Announcers and Radio Disc Jockeys$61,760 median wageIN estimate · 1,040 jobs · 27-3011$42,600–$82,970 middle 50% of IN wages-7.6% projected U.S. growth · 2,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeEditors$56,440 median wageIN estimate · 830 jobs · 27-3041$39,930–$77,900 middle 50% of IN wages-1.1% projected U.S. growth · 7,900 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeNews Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists$47,610 median wageIN estimate · 530 jobs · 27-3023$35,000–$61,770 middle 50% of IN wages-5.9% projected U.S. growth · 3,400 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeFundraising Managers$112,890 median wageIN estimate · 440 jobs · 11-2033$90,880–$168,160 middle 50% of IN wages+5.4% projected U.S. growth · 3,700 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeFundraisers$66,250 median wageIN estimate · 2,080 jobs · 13-1131$55,010–$82,210 middle 50% of IN wages+5.5% projected U.S. growth · 10,000 openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeMedia and Communication Workers, All Other$34,350 median wageIN estimate · 40 jobs · 27-3099$32,030–$36,350 middle 50% of IN wages+3.9% projected U.S. growth · 2,000 openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentNO MATCHNot available median wageU.S. estimate · Unreported jobs · 99-9999

Possible alternatives

Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.

Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida

$25,518 higher earnings · $8,059 lower annual net price

Earnings: $110,796
Debt: Not available
Annual net price: $6,541

View outcomes →

DATA QUALITY

Check the evidence behind the estimate.

58 observations in the earnings cohort

June 10, 2026 College Scorecard release

Observed, estimated and contextual figures are labeled separately throughout this page

IS IT WORTH IT AT YOUR PRICE?

Your price and current earnings determine the result.

Add your grants, borrowing and current salary to estimate payment pressure, break-even time and ten-year payoff.

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