Best Communications Teacher, Postsecondary programs in Washington, ranked by enrollment
Teach courses in communications, such as organizational communications, public relations, radio/television broadcasting, and journalism.
17 schools in Washington run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,601 people a year. The job pays a median of $75,330 in Washington across about 420 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Washington that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
12 programs in Washington that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Washington (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 Washington page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0101In Washington → | 642 | 40.1% | 10 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 2 | CIP 09.0702In Washington → | 317 | 19.8% | 6 | $29,112 | $23,836 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0102In Washington → | 170 | 10.6% | 3 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 09.0401In Washington → | 121 | 7.6% | 5 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 5 | CIP 09.0902In Washington → | 94 | 5.9% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 6 | CIP 09.0900In Washington → | 61 | 3.8% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 7 | CIP 09.0903In Washington → | 50 | 3.1% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 8 | CIP 09.9999In Washington → | 44 | 2.7% | 1 | $36,931 | $24,500 |
| 9 | CIP 09.0100In Washington → | 43 | 2.7% | 3 | $34,858 | $25,000 |
| 10 | CIP 09.0402In Washington → | 43 | 2.7% | 2 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
| 11 | CIP 09.0905In Washington → | 12 | 0.7% | 1 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 12 | CIP 09.0499In Washington → | 4 | 0.2% | 1 | $34,515 | $24,250 |
Top 17 schools in Washington
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 12 of the 17 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington State University Pullman, WA Public · 9 feeder programs | 469 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | $32,416 | 60% | — | 87% |
| 2 | University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA Public · 3 feeder programs | 462 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $44,638 | 85% | — | 39% |
| 3 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA Public · 3 feeder programs | 151 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $34,857 | 65% | — | 93% |
| 4 | Eastern Washington University Cheney, WA Public · 2 feeder programs | 108 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $37,782 | 43% | — | 91% |
| 5 | Gonzaga University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 5 feeder programs | 106 | Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs, Other | — | 86% | $30,006 | 82% |
| 6 | University of Washington - Bothell Campus Bothell, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 79 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $44,638 | 65% | — | 91% |
| 7 | Seattle University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 40 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,316 | 76% | $31,900 | 77% |
| 8 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus Tacoma, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 39 | Mass Communication/Media Studies | $44,638 | 63% | — | 83% |
| 9 | Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA Public · 3 feeder programs | 33 | Communication, General | $35,820 | 54% | — | 91% |
| 10 | Pacific Lutheran University Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 31 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $33,970 | 69% | $19,944 | 78% |
| 11 | University of Puget Sound Tacoma, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $29,477 | 68% | $35,057 | 72% |
| 12 | Whitworth University Spokane, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $39,305 | 71% | $23,510 | 90% |
| 13 | Seattle Pacific University Seattle, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Speech Communication and Rhetoric | $32,260 | 62% | $24,653 | 83% |
| 14 | Saint Martin's University Lacey, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Communication, General | — | 52% | $22,131 | 90% |
| 15 | The Evergreen State College Olympia, WA Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Digital Communication and Media/Multimedia | — | 41% | — | 96% |
| 16 | Northwest University Kirkland, WA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Communication, General | — | 71% | $21,433 | 83% |
| 17 | Walla Walla University College Place, WA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 5 | Public Relations/Image Management | — | 60% | $22,260 | — |
All 17 schools in Washington
Every school in Washington 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.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington State University | Pullman | Public | 469 | 9 |
| University of Washington - Seattle Campus | Seattle | Public | 462 | 3 |
| Western Washington University | Bellingham | Public | 151 | 3 |
| Eastern Washington University | Cheney | Public | 108 | 2 |
| Gonzaga University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 106 | 5 |
| University of Washington - Bothell Campus | Bothell | Public | 79 | 1 |
| Seattle University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 40 | 2 |
| University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma | Public | 39 | 1 |
| Central Washington University | Ellensburg | Public | 33 | 3 |
| Pacific Lutheran University | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 31 | 1 |
| University of Puget Sound | Tacoma | Private not-for-profit | 17 | 1 |
| Whitworth University | Spokane | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 1 |
| Seattle Pacific University | Seattle | Private not-for-profit | 13 | 1 |
| Saint Martin's University | Lacey | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| The Evergreen State College | Olympia | Public | 11 | 1 |
What communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Washington
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $78,580. Washington pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Washington
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
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
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Washington
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 Washington.
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 642 degrees in Washington in 2024-25, 40.1% 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 12 programs to this occupation. The largest are Communication and Media Studies, Radio, Public Relations, Journalism, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 1,601 people a year in Washington.
How much do communications teachers, postsecondary earn in Washington?+
The median is $75,330 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 4.1% below 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 Washington?+
17 institutions in Washington reported graduates from at least one of the 12 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.
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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