Best degree programs for News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists, ranked by enrollment
13 college programs and 964 schools train News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $62,200 median wage, 39,250 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
13 college programs at 964 schools train news analysts, reporters, and journalists, graduating 39,694 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Communication, General. The job pays a median of $62,200 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About news analysts, reporters, and journalists
Narrate or write news stories, reviews, or commentary for print, broadcast, or other communications media such as newspapers, magazines, radio, or television. May collect and analyze information through interview, investigation, or observation.
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.
13 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 | 28.9% | 375 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | Journalismmain feeder CIP 09.0401 | 9,258 | 23.3% | 356 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0102 | 8,696 | 21.9% | 311 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0701 | 6,089 | 15.3% | 173 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0906 | 1,470 | 3.7% | 88 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 6 | Journalism, Othermain feeder CIP 09.0499 | 1,031 | 2.6% | 40 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 7 | Broadcast Journalismmain feeder CIP 09.0402 | 712 | 1.8% | 49 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 8 | CIP 01.0802 | 552 | 1.4% | 23 | $43,778 | $19,500 |
| 9 | CIP 09.0904 | 190 | 0.5% | 9 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 10 | CIP 09.0907 | 157 | 0.4% | 17 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 11 | Photojournalismmain feeder CIP 09.0404 | 66 | 0.2% | 14 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 12 | Science/Health/Environmental Journalismmain feeder CIP 09.0407 | 7 | 0.0% | 1 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 13 | Cultural Journalismmain feeder CIP 09.0406 | 2 | 0.0% | 1 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
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 | Texas A&M University - College Station College Station, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 819 | Communication, General | 84% | — | 57% |
| 2 | Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 623 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 80% | — | 78% |
| 3 | University of California - Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 618 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 33% |
| 4 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 587 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 91% | — | 24% |
| 5 | California State University - Northridge Northridge, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 550 | Radio and Television | 57% | — | 93% |
| 6 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 494 | Radio and Television | 89% | — | 27% |
| 7 | University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI Public · 4 feeder programs | 478 | Journalism | 90% | — | 45% |
| 8 | University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO Public · 1 feeder programs | 450 | Journalism | 75% | — | 78% |
| 9 | Boston University Boston, MA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 430 | Radio and Television | 89% | $21,956 | 11% |
| 10 | Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX Public · 6 feeder programs | 426 | Sports Communication | 69% | — | 73% |
| 11 | University of Georgia Athens, GA Public · 6 feeder programs | 419 | Journalism | 90% | — | 38% |
| 12 | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC Public · 1 feeder programs | 409 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 91% | — | 15% |
| 13 | University of North Texas Denton, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 388 | Radio and Television | 61% | — | 72% |
| 14 | Baylor University Waco, TX Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 349 | Communication, General | 80% | $35,682 | 51% |
| 15 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 6 feeder programs | 339 | Radio and Television | 84% | $28,851 | 46% |
| 16 | Temple University Philadelphia, PA Public · 4 feeder programs | 339 | Radio and Television | 75% | — | 80% |
| 17 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ Public · 5 feeder programs | 332 | Sports Communication | 68% | — | 90% |
| 18 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA Public · 1 feeder programs | 332 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 69% | — | 73% |
| 19 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT Public · 1 feeder programs | 293 | Communication, General | 65% | — | 86% |
| 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 · 3 feeder programs | 285 | Journalism | 75% | — | 77% |
| 22 | California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 282 | Radio and Television | 69% | — | 46% |
| 23 | University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign Champaign, IL Public · 3 feeder programs | 282 | Communication, General | 85% | — | 42% |
| 24 | Pennsylvania State University - Main Campus University Park, PA Public · 3 feeder programs | 281 | Journalism | 86% | — | 61% |
| 25 | University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 278 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 93% | — | 11% |
| 26 | San Diego State University San Diego, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 273 | Journalism | 76% | — | 36% |
| 27 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 265 | Communication, General | 86% | — | 42% |
| 28 | Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 6 feeder programs | 250 | Journalism | 65% | — | 85% |
| 29 | University of Massachusetts - Amherst Amherst, MA Public · 3 feeder programs | 249 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 60% |
| 30 | The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN Public · 2 feeder programs | 242 | Journalism | 74% | — | 42% |
| 31 | University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 239 | Communication, General | 86% | — | 27% |
| 32 | University of Kansas Lawrence, KS Public · 3 feeder programs | 235 | Journalism | 69% | — | 93% |
| 33 | University of Phoenix - Arizona Phoenix, AZ Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 231 | Communication, General | 21% | $15,478 | — |
| 34 | The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX Public · 1 feeder programs | 230 | Communication, General | 53% | — | 87% |
| 35 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 225 | Communication, General | 93% | — | 9% |
| 36 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 222 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 63% | — | 93% |
| 37 | University of Houston Houston, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 221 | Radio and Television | 65% | — | 74% |
| 38 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 216 | Journalism, Other | 96% | $15,315 | 4% |
| 39 | Texas State University San Marcos, TX Public · 3 feeder programs | 211 | Radio and Television | 55% | — | 89% |
| 40 | University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC Public · 4 feeder programs | 211 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 79% | — | 60% |
| 41 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ Public · 1 feeder programs | 206 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | 0% | — | 67% |
| 42 | American University Washington, DC Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 203 | Journalism | 75% | $30,225 | 62% |
| 43 | Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN Public · 2 feeder programs | 192 | Communication, General | 83% | — | 50% |
| 44 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 191 | Journalism | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 45 | Michigan State University East Lansing, MI Public · 3 feeder programs | 190 | Journalism | 81% | — | 85% |
| 46 | The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX Public · 2 feeder programs | 181 | Communication, General | 54% | — | 80% |
| 47 | Liberty University Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 180 | Communication, General | 65% | $28,911 | 99% |
| 48 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 3 feeder programs | 179 | Communication, General | 64% | — | 86% |
| 49 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 178 | Radio and Television | 70% | — | 91% |
| 50 | Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 175 | Communication, General | 55% | $6,760 | 96% |
What news analysts, reporters, and journalists 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 | — | 4,140 | 0.90× | 122 | 6,622 |
| Texas | $48,470 | 2,670 | 0.75× | 61 | 4,633 |
| New York | $100,770 | 5,750 | 2.35× | 68 | 3,012 |
| Florida | $58,730 | 2,490 | 0.99× | 31 | 1,843 |
| Pennsylvania | — | 1,160 | 0.76× | 50 | 1,525 |
| North Carolina | $58,670 | 930 | 0.74× | 31 | 1,357 |
| Illinois | $60,590 | 1,060 | 0.69× | 37 | 1,300 |
| Massachusetts | — | 810 | 0.88× | 30 | 1,296 |
| Arizona | $43,100 | 450 | 0.55× | 18 | 1,181 |
| Indiana | $47,610 | 530 | 0.66× | 26 | 1,157 |
| Ohio | $47,880 | 1,340 | 0.96× | 37 | 1,123 |
| Wisconsin | $57,530 | 740 | 1.00× | 15 | 1,029 |
| Georgia | $81,910 | 1,520 | 1.23× | 26 | 1,026 |
| Utah | $61,880 | 240 | 0.54× | 7 | 952 |
| Tennessee | $62,390 | 600 | 0.73× | 19 | 849 |
| Virginia | $62,140 | 1,110 | 1.07× | 21 | 777 |
| Missouri | $46,920 | 480 | 0.65× | 24 | 767 |
| Colorado | $60,770 | 590 | 0.81× | 19 | 678 |
| Oklahoma | $48,210 | 400 | 0.92× | 20 | 602 |
| Louisiana | $50,750 | 410 | 0.83× | 13 | 577 |
| New Jersey | $59,830 | 500 | 0.46× | 17 | 571 |
| Michigan | $62,760 | 960 | 0.86× | 29 | 540 |
| Kansas | $45,870 | 400 | 1.10× | 14 | 417 |
| District of Columbia | $105,390 | 1,720 | 9.72× | 5 | 415 |
| South Carolina | $47,940 | 480 | 0.83× | 14 | 399 |
| Alabama | $43,440 | 530 | 0.99× | 16 | 397 |
| Connecticut | $61,620 | 470 | 1.09× | 8 | 383 |
| Washington | $54,760 | 880 | 0.98× | 11 | 383 |
| Arkansas | $37,450 | 260 | 0.77× | 13 | 371 |
| Maryland | $63,680 | 580 | 0.83× | 9 | 366 |
| Minnesota | $46,490 | 510 | 0.69× | 24 | 364 |
| Kentucky | $47,530 | 370 | 0.73× | 18 | 345 |
| Iowa | $43,540 | 590 | 1.49× | 15 | 254 |
| Nebraska | $40,420 | 350 | 1.34× | 11 | 243 |
| Idaho | $51,190 | 220 | 1.03× | 6 | 235 |
| Nevada | $78,550 | 370 | 0.96× | 5 | 216 |
| Oregon | $49,200 | 410 | 0.83× | 8 | 200 |
| West Virginia | $35,280 | 190 | 1.07× | 5 | 176 |
| Rhode Island | $74,570 | 150 | 1.17× | 9 | 161 |
| North Dakota | $43,420 | 160 | 1.46× | 5 | 158 |
| Mississippi | $45,240 | 310 | 1.07× | 10 | 147 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $54,610 | 170 | 0.78× | 4 | 146 |
| Mainemoderate | $50,090 | 250 | 1.57× | 4 | 97 |
| South Dakota | $43,520 | 190 | 1.63× | 5 | 77 |
| New Hampshire | $48,450 | 90 | 0.53× | 6 | 41 |
| Hawaiilimited | $56,730 | 120 | 0.77× | 2 | 40 |
| Delawaremoderate | $55,600 | 70 | 0.56× | 3 | 36 |
| Wyomingmoderate | $36,040 | 80 | 1.14× | 3 | 30 |
| Montanalimited | $47,960 | 290 | 2.24× | 2 | 26 |
| Vermontmoderate | $46,970 | 90 | 1.11× | 3 | 22 |
| Alaskalimited | $43,820 | 90 | 1.04× | 1 | 12 |
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
- Write commentaries, columns, or scripts, using computers.
- Coordinate and serve as an anchor on news broadcast programs.
- Examine news items of local, national, and international significance to determine topics to address, or obtain assignments from editorial staff members.
- Analyze and interpret news and information received from various sources to broadcast the information.
- Receive assignments or evaluate leads or tips to develop story ideas.
- Research a story's background information to provide complete and accurate information.
- Arrange interviews with people who can provide information about a story.
- Gather information and develop perspectives about news subjects through research, interviews, observation, and experience.
Skills
- Speaking4.1
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Writing4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.4
- Active Learning3.3
- Monitoring3.0
- Learning Strategies2.4
Knowledge areas
- English Language4.8
- Communications and Media4.7
- Law and Government3.7
- Computers and Electronics3.4
- Telecommunications3.4
- Customer and Personal Service3.2
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.0
- Written Expression3.9
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Speech Recognition3.8
- Written Comprehension3.8
Core activities
- Getting Information4.8
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.5
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others4.3
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.2
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.1
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a News Analyst
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
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 14 majors mapped to News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists13 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0802Agricultural Communication/Journalism
- 09.0100Communication, General
- 09.0102Mass Communication/Media Studies
- 09.0401Journalism
- 09.0402Broadcast Journalism
- 09.0404Photojournalism
- 09.0405Business and Economic Journalism(no graduates reported)
- 09.0406Cultural Journalism
- 09.0407Science/Health/Environmental Journalism
- 09.0499Journalism, Other
- 09.0701Radio and Television
- 09.0904Political Communication
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 09.0907International and Intercultural Communication
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 a News Analyst?+
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, 28.9% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a News Analyst?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 13 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Journalism, Radio, Public Relations, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 39,694 people a year.
How much do news analysts, reporters, and journalists earn?+
The median is $62,200 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $36,240 at the 10th percentile to $144,140 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 news analysts, reporters, and journalists growing?+
BLS projects a -3.9% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, decline, with roughly 4,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
964 institutions 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 news analysts, reporters, and journalists work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Anchor, Reporter, News Anchor, News Reporter among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-3023.
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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