Massachusetts·Educational Instruction and Library Occupations·SOC 25-1122

Best Communications Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Massachusetts, ranked by enrollment

Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism.

48 schools in Massachusetts run programs that feed this job, graduating 3,088 people a year. The job pays a median of $82,610 in Massachusetts across about 1,110 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledProfessorInstructorCommunication ProfessorCommunication InstructorLecturerSpeech TeacherAdjunct LecturerSpeech Professor
Graduates / yr
3,088
in Massachusetts
Median pay · Massachusetts
$82,610
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
1,110
people employed
Schools
48
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
60%
across those schools
Median net price
$26,290
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.

18 programs in Massachusetts that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Massachusetts (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Massachusetts page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1648
21.0%
19$34,858$25,000
2449
14.5%
15$34,858$25,000
3405
13.1%
13$29,112$23,836
4377
12.2%
9$34,515$24,250
5285
9.2%
4$39,658$24,500
6261
8.5%
6$29,112$23,836
7233
7.5%
4$39,658$24,500
8115
3.7%
14$34,858$25,000
973
2.4%
2$41,000$26,000
1070
2.3%
7$39,658$24,500
1161
2.0%
3$39,658$24,500
1234
1.1%
2$39,658$24,500
1324
0.8%
1$39,658$24,500
1422
0.7%
1$39,658$24,500
1514
0.5%
2$36,931$24,500
168
0.3%
1$34,515$24,250
176
0.2%
1$34,515$24,250
183
0.1%
1$39,658$24,500

Top 25 schools in Massachusetts

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 20 of the 48 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1Boston University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs
1,030Advertising89%$21,95611%
2University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Amherst, MA Public · 3 feeder programs
249Communication, General$36,38083%60%
3Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
202Speech Communication and Rhetoric$55,16291%$21,12616%
4Emerson College
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 8 feeder programs
200Journalism$39,70377%$40,98251%
5Northeastern University Professional Programs
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
129Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
6Harvard University
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
128Business/Corporate Communications, General98%$15,0134%
7Suffolk University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs
125Advertising$44,86361%$28,89582%
8Northeastern University
Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs
114Speech Communication and Rhetoric$47,46591%$18,9255%
9Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA Public · 2 feeder programs
109Speech Communication and Rhetoric$34,14653%88%
10Merrimack College
North Andover, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
76Communication, General$29,52770%$33,87770%
11Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
67Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia96%$11,6665%
12University of Massachusetts - Boston
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
58Communication, General$42,48049%84%
13Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Boston, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
56Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia69%76%
14Lasell University
Newton, MA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs
40Speech Communication and Rhetoric$30,37959%$23,72481%
15Endicott College
Beverly, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
38Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$47,90376%$34,19571%
16Clark University
Worcester, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
36Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia77%$23,33240%
17Salem State University
Salem, MA Public · 5 feeder programs
33Speech Communication and Rhetoric$34,30250%96%
18Worcester State University
Worcester, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
32Mass Communication/Media Studies$34,23561%88%
19Westfield State University
Westfield, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
31Speech Communication and Rhetoric$32,13454%81%
20Dean College
Franklin, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
29Mass Communication/Media Studies54%$28,87474%
21Bentley University
Waltham, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
28Business/Corporate Communications, General$57,14187%$31,67745%
22Stonehill College
Easton, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
24Speech Communication and Rhetoric$37,54376%$24,00066%
23University of Massachusetts - Lowell
Lowell, MA Public · 1 feeder programs
21Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia65%83%
24Gordon College
Wenham, MA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
20Speech Communication and Rhetoric69%$23,07769%
25Regis College
Weston, MA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
19Speech Communication and Rhetoric72%$26,64770%

All 48 schools in Massachusetts

Every school in Massachusetts with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.

All schools in Massachusetts that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
Boston UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1,0308
University of Massachusetts - AmherstAmherstPublic2493
Boston CollegeChestnut HillPrivate not-for-profit2021
Emerson CollegeBostonPrivate not-for-profit2008
Northeastern University Professional ProgramsBostonPrivate not-for-profit1292
Harvard UniversityCambridgePrivate not-for-profit1284
Suffolk UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1256
Northeastern UniversityBostonPrivate not-for-profit1144
Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewaterPublic1092
Merrimack CollegeNorth AndoverPrivate not-for-profit761
Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCambridgePrivate not-for-profit673
University of Massachusetts - BostonBostonPublic581
Massachusetts College of Art and DesignBostonPublic561
Lasell UniversityNewtonPrivate not-for-profit407
Endicott CollegeBeverlyPrivate not-for-profit383

What communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Massachusetts

What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.

Median annual in Massachusetts
$82,610
Mean annual
$97,440
Jobs in state
1,110
What the range looks like
10th pct$60,730Median$82,61090th pct$161,740
Versus the national median
+5.1%

U.S. median $78,580. Massachusetts pays above the national figure.

Job concentration
1.62×

Concentrated here: Massachusetts employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.

Metro areas in Massachusetts

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$80,890median
920 jobs
Worcester, MA
$95,980median
60 jobs
Springfield, MA
$86,730median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+2.1%
About as fast as average
Openings per year
2,700
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
800
35,800 → 36,600
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.

How to get in

The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Communications Teachers, Postsecondary page.

How to become a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary

Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above
Typical entry education
Doctoral or professional degree

Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).

Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.

Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.

Top skills

Active ListeningReading ComprehensionSpeakingActive LearningLearning StrategiesWriting

The same job in other states

Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.

Related careers in Massachusetts

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 23 majors mapped to Communications Teachers, Postsecondary22 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 09.0100Communication, General
  • 09.0101Speech Communication and Rhetoric
  • 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
  • 09.0401Journalism
  • 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
  • 09.0405Business and Economic Journalism(no graduates reported)
  • 09.0406Cultural Journalism
  • 09.0407Science/Health/Environmental Journalism
  • 09.0499Journalism, Other
  • 09.0701Radio and Television
  • 09.0702Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia
  • 09.0900Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication
  • 09.0902Public Relations/Image Management
  • 09.0903Advertising
  • 09.0904Political Communication
  • 09.0905Health Communication
  • 09.0906Sports Communication
  • 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
  • 09.0908Technical and Scientific Communication
  • 09.9999Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
  • 50.0607Documentary Production
  • 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
  • 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing communications teachers, postsecondary programs in Massachusetts.

What degree do you need to become a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary?+

Doctoral or professional degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Speech Communication and Rhetoric, which awarded 648 degrees in Massachusetts in 2024-25, 21.0% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming a Communications Teacher, Postsecondary?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 18 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Public Relations, Radio, Journalism, plus 2 more. Together they graduate about 3,088 people a year in Massachusetts.

How much do communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Massachusetts?+

The median is $82,610 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.1% above the U.S. median of $78,580. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.

Is demand for communications teachers, postsecondary growing?+

BLS projects a +2.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 2,700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

How many schools offer programs for this career in Massachusetts?+

48 institutions in Massachusetts reported graduates from at least one of the 18 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.

What other job titles do communications teachers, postsecondary work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Professor, Instructor, Communication Professor, Communication Instructor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 25-1122.

Communications Teachers, Postsecondary in other statesCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaPennsylvaniaIllinoisArizonaOhio

About the data on this page

Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).

  • BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics

    May 2025

    Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.

  • BLS Employment Projections

    2024–34

    Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.

  • IPEDS Completions

    2024-25 (provisional)

    Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.

  • College Scorecard, Field of Study

    2020-21 cohorts

    Median graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.

  • Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes

    latest available

    Graduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.

  • NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk

    CIP 2020 / SOC 2018

    Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.

  • O*NET Database 30.3

    30.3

    Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.

    Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA

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