Missouri·Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media Occupations·SOC 27-3041

Best Editor programs in Missouri, ranked by enrollment

Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material.

34 schools in Missouri run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,093 people a year. The job pays a median of $61,620 in Missouri across about 880 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).

Also calledEditorNews EditorSports EditorNewspaper Copy EditorCensorReaderReviewerArt Editor
Graduates / yr
1,093
in Missouri
Median pay · Missouri
$61,620
BLS OEWS May 2025
Jobs in state
880
people employed
Schools
34
with a feeder program
Avg graduation rate
51%
across those schools
Median net price
$18,428
per year, IPEDS

Fields of study in Missouri that lead to this job

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

13 programs in Missouri that lead to this job

Ranked by graduates per year in Missouri (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 Missouri page.

Degree programs that lead to this occupation, ranked by graduates per year
#ProgramGraduates / yrShare of pipelineSchoolsGrad earnings (1 yr)Median debt
1
CIP 09.0401In Missouri
482
44.1%
6$34,515$24,250
2
Creative Writingmain feeder
CIP 23.1302In Missouri
224
20.5%
11$28,725$25,250
3
CIP 09.0100In Missouri
174
15.9%
10$34,858$25,000
4
CIP 23.1303In Missouri
85
7.8%
6$28,725$25,250
5
CIP 09.0102In Missouri
71
6.5%
9$34,858$25,000
6
Publishingmain feeder
CIP 09.1001In Missouri
22
2.0%
1$17,585$27,000
7
Writing, Generalmain feeder
CIP 23.1301In Missouri
20
1.8%
4$28,725$25,250
8
CIP 09.0908In Missouri
6
0.5%
1$39,658$24,500
9
CIP 23.1405In Missouri
3
0.3%
1$23,868$26,552
10
CIP 09.9999In Missouri
2
0.2%
2$36,931$24,500
11
CIP 52.0501In Missouri
2
0.2%
1$41,000$26,000
12
CIP 23.1304In Missouri
1
0.1%
1$28,725$25,250
13
CIP 09.0402In Missouri
1
0.1%
1$34,515$24,250

Top 25 schools in Missouri

Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 10 of the 34 schools in this state.

Schools ranked by graduates per year into this occupation
#SchoolGraduates / yrTop feeder programGrad earnings (1 yr)Grad rateNet priceAcceptance
1University of Missouri - Columbia
Columbia, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
450Journalism$43,95875%78%
2Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
135Creative Writing49%$17,43657%
3Missouri State University - Springfield
Springfield, MO Public · 7 feeder programs
119Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing$47,37758%91%
4University of Missouri - St Louis
Saint Louis, MO Public · 5 feeder programs
92Communication, General$32,80957%63%
5Saint Louis University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
46Communication, General$30,04780%$24,88675%
6Washington University in St Louis
St. Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
41Creative Writing94%$14,12612%
7Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
37Communication, General$34,19554%86%
8Webster University
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
30Mass Communication/Media Studies64%$25,09086%
9Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, MO Public · 2 feeder programs
25Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing64%73%
10Drury University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs
23Writing, General$24,12762%$20,48258%
11Maryville University of Saint Louis
Saint Louis, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
13Mass Communication/Media Studies66%$24,92195%
12Truman State University
Kirksville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
10Creative Writing$16,56969%84%
13Park University
Parkville, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
8Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing38%$16,013
14University of Missouri - Kansas City
Kansas City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
8Creative Writing55%72%
15Drury University - College of Continuing Professional Studies
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
7Communication, General43%$14,825
16College of the Ozarks
Point Lookout, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
5Journalism64%$8,36012%
17Harris - Stowe State University
Saint Louis, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
5Communication, General28%
18Central Methodist University - College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Fayette, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing51%$25,58257%
19Culver - Stockton College
Canton, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
4Communication, General39%$21,26999%
20Lincoln University
Jefferson City, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
4Journalism$26,35621%
21Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
4Mass Communication/Media Studies$35,28258%74%
22St Charles Community College
Cottleville, MO Public · 1 feeder programs
3Creative Writing25%
23Stephens College
Columbia, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
3Creative Writing43%$23,19877%
24Avila University
Kansas City, MO Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs
2Mass Communication/Media Studies$33,90552%$16,72188%
25Evangel University
Springfield, MO Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs
2Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other65%$17,88172%

All 34 schools in Missouri

Every school in Missouri 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 Missouri that feed this occupation
SchoolCityControlGraduates / yrFeeder programs
University of Missouri - ColumbiaColumbiaPublic4501
Lindenwood UniversitySaint CharlesPrivate not-for-profit1352
Missouri State University - SpringfieldSpringfieldPublic1197
University of Missouri - St LouisSaint LouisPublic925
Saint Louis UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit461
Washington University in St LouisSt. LouisPrivate not-for-profit412
Northwest Missouri State UniversityMaryvillePublic372
Webster UniversitySaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit303
Missouri University of Science and TechnologyRollaPublic252
Drury UniversitySpringfieldPrivate not-for-profit233
Maryville University of Saint LouisSaint LouisPrivate not-for-profit131
Truman State UniversityKirksvillePublic101
Park UniversityParkvillePrivate not-for-profit82
University of Missouri - Kansas CityKansas CityPublic81
Drury University - College of Continuing Professional StudiesSpringfieldPrivate not-for-profit71

What editors earn in Missouri

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

Median annual in Missouri
$61,620
Mean annual
$68,130
Jobs in state
880
What the range looks like
10th pct$36,060Median$61,62090th pct$104,680
Versus the national median
-20.9%

U.S. median $77,920. Missouri pays below the national figure.

Job concentration
0.51×

1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.

Metro areas in Missouri

St. Louis, MO-IL
$69,990median
360 jobs
Kansas City, MO-KS
$65,180median
380 jobs
Springfield, MO
$52,040median
30 jobs
Jefferson City, MO
$57,570median
30 jobs
Columbia, MO
$54,250median
50 jobs

Job outlook

Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.

Projected growth 2024–34
+0.6%
Little or no change
Openings per year
9,800
new jobs plus replacements
Employment change
700
115,800 → 116,500
Typical entry education
Bachelor's 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 Editors page.

How to become a Editor

Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience needed
Less than 5 years

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Top skills

Reading ComprehensionWritingActive ListeningCritical ThinkingSpeakingActive Learning

The same job in other states

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

Related careers in Missouri

Every major mapped to this job

The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.

All 18 majors mapped to Editors18 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
  • 09.0100Communication, General
  • 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
  • 09.0401Journalism
  • 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
  • 09.0908Technical and Scientific Communication
  • 09.1001Publishing
  • 09.9999Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other
  • 23.1301Writing, General
  • 23.1302Creative Writing
  • 23.1303Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing
  • 23.1304Rhetoric and Composition
  • 23.1399Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other
  • 23.1401General Literature
  • 23.1405Children's and Adolescent Literature
  • 23.1499Literature, Other
  • 52.0501Business/Corporate Communications, General
  • 52.0502Grantsmanship
  • 52.0599Business/Corporate Communications, Other

Common questions

Answers for people weighing editors programs in Missouri.

What degree do you need to become an Editor?+

Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Journalism, which awarded 482 degrees in Missouri in 2024-25, 44.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.

Which college majors lead to becoming an Editor?+

The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Journalism, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Communication and Media Studies, Publishing, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 1,093 people a year in Missouri.

How much do editors earn in Missouri?+

The median is $61,620 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 20.9% below the U.S. median of $77,920. 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 editors growing?+

BLS projects a +0.6% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 9,800 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.

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

34 institutions in Missouri reported graduates from at least one of the 13 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 editors work under?+

Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Editor, News Editor, Sports Editor, Newspaper Copy Editor among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3041.

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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