Best degree programs for Editors, ranked by enrollment
18 college programs and 1,188 schools train Editors. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $77,920 median wage, 91,690 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
18 college programs at 1,188 schools train editors, graduating 46,592 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Communication, General. The job pays a median of $77,920 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About editors
Plan, coordinate, revise, or edit written material. May review proposals and drafts for possible publication.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
18 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0100 | 11,464 | 24.6% | 375 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0401 | 9,258 | 19.9% | 356 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0102 | 8,696 | 18.7% | 311 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | Creative Writingmain feeder CIP 23.1302 | 7,090 | 15.2% | 448 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 5 | CIP 23.1303 | 3,683 | 7.9% | 161 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 6 | Rhetoric and Compositionmain feeder CIP 23.1304 | 1,283 | 2.8% | 81 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 7 | CIP 09.9999 | 1,250 | 2.7% | 65 | $36,931 | $24,500 |
| 8 | CIP 52.0501 | 836 | 1.8% | 57 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 9 | CIP 09.0402 | 712 | 1.5% | 49 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 10 | Writing, Generalmain feeder CIP 23.1301 | 674 | 1.4% | 101 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 11 | CIP 23.1399 | 581 | 1.2% | 16 | $28,725 | $25,250 |
| 12 | General Literaturemain feeder CIP 23.1401 | 415 | 0.9% | 59 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 13 | Publishingmain feeder CIP 09.1001 | 372 | 0.8% | 24 | $17,585 | $27,000 |
| 14 | CIP 09.0908 | 168 | 0.4% | 25 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 15 | Children's and Adolescent Literaturemain feeder CIP 23.1405 | 74 | 0.2% | 6 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 16 | Literature, Othermain feeder CIP 23.1499 | 17 | 0.0% | 6 | $23,868 | $26,552 |
| 17 | CIP 52.0599 | 14 | 0.0% | 2 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
| 18 | CIP 52.0502 | 5 | 0.0% | 1 | $41,000 | $26,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1,845 | Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing | 38% | — | — |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University Manchester, NH Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 817 | Creative Writing | 43% | $34,565 | 100% |
| 3 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 750 | Communication, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 4 | Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 5 feeder programs | 635 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 80% | — | 78% |
| 5 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 618 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 33% |
| 6 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 572 | Creative Writing | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 7 | Full Sail University Winter Park, FL Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 539 | Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Other | 44% | $32,163 | — |
| 8 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 464 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 91% | — | 24% |
| 9 | University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 464 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 85% | — | 58% |
| 10 | University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 450 | Journalism | 75% | — | 78% |
| 11 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 409 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 91% | — | 15% |
| 12 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 374 | Communication, General | 80% | $35,682 | 51% |
| 13 | Emerson College Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 344 | Creative Writing | 77% | $40,982 | 51% |
| 14 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 2 feeder programs | 337 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 69% | — | 73% |
| 15 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 4 feeder programs | 331 | Communication, General | 65% | — | 86% |
| 16 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY Public · 3 feeder programs | 329 | Business/Corporate Communications, General | 72% | — | 48% |
| 17 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 311 | Journalism | 89% | — | 27% |
| 18 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 311 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 93% | — | 11% |
| 19 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 5 feeder programs | 311 | Communication, General | 85% | — | 42% |
| 20 | Ensign College Salt Lake City, UT Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 292 | Communication, General | 43% | $11,149 | — |
| 21 | University of Oklahoma - Norman Campus Norman, OK Public · 4 feeder programs | 288 | Journalism | 75% | — | 77% |
| 22 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 281 | Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 23 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 5 feeder programs | 279 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 24 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 3 feeder programs | 276 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 0% | — | 67% |
| 25 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 274 | Communication, General | 86% | — | 42% |
| 26 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 272 | Journalism | 86% | — | 61% |
| 27 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 6 feeder programs | 271 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 50% |
| 28 | University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN Public · 6 feeder programs | 251 | Rhetoric and Composition | 85% | — | 80% |
| 29 | High Point University High Point, NC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 248 | Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | 74% | $37,072 | 75% |
| 30 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 3 feeder programs | 246 | Journalism | 74% | — | 42% |
| 31 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 242 | Communication, General | 86% | — | 27% |
| 32 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 4 feeder programs | 238 | Communication, General | 53% | — | 87% |
| 33 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 4 feeder programs | 236 | Journalism | 69% | — | 93% |
| 34 | University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 231 | Communication, General | 21% | $15,478 | — |
| 35 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 4 feeder programs | 229 | Journalism | 90% | — | 45% |
| 36 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 229 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 63% | — | 93% |
| 37 | James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 228 | Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | 80% | — | 72% |
| 38 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 226 | Journalism | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 39 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 3 feeder programs | 226 | Journalism | 90% | — | 38% |
| 40 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 225 | Communication, General | 93% | — | 9% |
| 41 | American University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 223 | Journalism | 75% | $30,225 | 62% |
| 42 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 222 | Journalism | 61% | — | 72% |
| 43 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 5 feeder programs | 219 | Journalism | 81% | — | 85% |
| 44 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 4 feeder programs | 210 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 79% | — | 60% |
| 45 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 6 feeder programs | 209 | Journalism | 76% | — | 36% |
| 46 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 5 feeder programs | 206 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 69% | — | 73% |
| 47 | Southern Crescent Technical College Griffin, GA Public · 1 feeder programs | 196 | Professional, Technical, Business, and Scientific Writing | 58% | — | — |
| 48 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 4 feeder programs | 195 | Communication, General | 64% | — | 86% |
| 49 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 191 | Journalism | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 50 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 5 feeder programs | 184 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 75% | — | 80% |
What editors earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $98,030 | 14,830 | 1.38× | 115 | 4,362 |
| Texas | $45,950 | 6,460 | 0.78× | 63 | 3,844 |
| New York | $101,480 | 16,800 | 2.94× | 87 | 3,636 |
| Georgia | $76,650 | 1,920 | 0.67× | 42 | 3,347 |
| Pennsylvania | $63,460 | 3,240 | 0.91× | 84 | 2,418 |
| Florida | $73,950 | 3,790 | 0.65× | 34 | 2,095 |
| Virginia | $80,590 | 2,720 | 1.12× | 30 | 1,798 |
| Massachusetts | $83,170 | 3,100 | 1.44× | 39 | 1,587 |
| North Carolina | $73,740 | 1,870 | 0.64× | 36 | 1,536 |
| Ohio | $72,160 | 1,800 | 0.55× | 41 | 1,334 |
| Illinois | $76,060 | 4,560 | 1.27× | 40 | 1,310 |
| Indiana | $56,440 | 830 | 0.44× | 31 | 1,272 |
| Arizona | $63,090 | 820 | 0.43× | 19 | 1,166 |
| Missouri | $61,620 | 880 | 0.51× | 34 | 1,093 |
| Utah | $65,040 | 590 | 0.57× | 11 | 1,062 |
| Tennessee | $59,550 | 1,390 | 0.72× | 25 | 983 |
| Wisconsin | $64,270 | 1,510 | 0.87× | 22 | 916 |
| Michigan | $63,090 | 1,690 | 0.65× | 35 | 901 |
| New Hampshire | $66,510 | 250 | 0.62× | 9 | 891 |
| Colorado | $77,870 | 1,830 | 1.08× | 25 | 846 |
| Minnesota | $62,650 | 1,970 | 1.13× | 32 | 760 |
| Washington | $77,850 | 1,860 | 0.89× | 17 | 760 |
| Maryland | $75,550 | 1,850 | 1.13× | 18 | 643 |
| Louisiana | $58,860 | 330 | 0.29× | 14 | 637 |
| New Jersey | $81,680 | 2,120 | 0.84× | 22 | 580 |
| District of Columbia | $83,920 | 3,310 | 7.99× | 6 | 559 |
| Oklahoma | $50,780 | 500 | 0.50× | 21 | 529 |
| South Carolina | $62,000 | 500 | 0.36× | 18 | 458 |
| Oregon | $71,540 | 1,110 | 0.96× | 13 | 450 |
| Connecticut | $85,950 | 1,050 | 1.05× | 11 | 445 |
| Arkansas | $50,180 | 260 | 0.34× | 14 | 440 |
| Kansas | $61,920 | 500 | 0.59× | 14 | 416 |
| Iowa | $57,200 | 900 | 0.98× | 18 | 371 |
| Idaho | — | 230 | 0.46× | 7 | 342 |
| Kentucky | $59,430 | 490 | 0.41× | 19 | 327 |
| Alabama | $63,330 | 530 | 0.43× | 17 | 315 |
| New Mexico | $64,250 | 230 | 0.46× | 8 | 272 |
| Nevada | $72,510 | — | — | 5 | 259 |
| West Virginia | $56,630 | 260 | 0.64× | 8 | 199 |
| Nebraska | $46,320 | 360 | 0.59× | 12 | 198 |
| Mississippi | $54,380 | 290 | 0.43× | 15 | 191 |
| North Dakota | $60,520 | 200 | 0.79× | 5 | 191 |
| Rhode Island | $77,960 | 340 | 1.14× | 10 | 188 |
| Vermont | $66,860 | 240 | 1.34× | 6 | 150 |
| Maine | $50,180 | 300 | 0.79× | 8 | 140 |
| South Dakota | $56,730 | 140 | 0.53× | 6 | 73 |
| Montanamoderate | $61,750 | 200 | 0.67× | 4 | 59 |
| Delawaremoderate | $75,020 | 170 | 0.61× | 3 | 51 |
| Hawaiilimited | $55,070 | 100 | 0.27× | 2 | 41 |
| Alaskamoderate | $63,630 | 60 | 0.33× | 3 | 33 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $46,710 | 110 | 0.65× | 4 | 21 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
- Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
- Read, evaluate and edit manuscripts or other materials submitted for publication, and confer with authors regarding changes in content, style or organization, or publication.
- Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
- Prepare, rewrite and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
- Oversee publication production, including artwork, layout, computer typesetting, and printing, ensuring adherence to deadlines and budget requirements.
- Write text, such as stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
- Supervise and coordinate work of reporters and other editors.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.9
- Writing4.3
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Speaking3.8
- Active Learning3.1
- Monitoring3.0
- Learning Strategies2.9
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.8
- Communications and Media4.5
- Administration and Management3.3
- Administrative3.3
- Education and Training3.3
- Customer and Personal Service3.1
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.9
- Written Expression4.6
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression4.0
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Near Vision3.9
Core activities
- Working with Computers4.6
- Getting Information4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
- Thinking Creatively4.1
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.0
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.0
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
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.
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
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
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 Communication, General, which awarded 11,464 degrees in 2024-25, 24.6% 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 18 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies, Journalism, Communication, plus 4 more. Together they graduate about 46,592 people a year.
How much do editors earn?+
The median is $77,920 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $41,250 at the 10th percentile to $153,700 at the 90th. 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?+
1,188 institutions 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 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 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected 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 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, 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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