Communication and Media Studies at Alcorn State University

Starting at $27,087 puts Alcorn's communication graduates below both the national median ($34,959) and Mississippi's median ($29,450), though they actually land in the middle of the pack within the state—40th percentile among Mississippi programs. More concerning: with median debt of $29,600, these graduates owe more than they'll earn in their first year, creating immediate financial pressure that Mississippi College and Mississippi State grads in the same field manage to avoid.

The 77% Pell Grant population tells you who this program serves—students from low-income families who need college to work economically. But communication careers typically require internships, portfolio-building, and often unpaid entry positions before earnings accelerate. This creates a difficult mismatch: high debt and low starting pay precisely when students least have family financial cushion to draw on. The debt level ranks in the 5th percentile nationally, meaning 95% of communication programs leave graduates with less debt.

The small sample size here matters—fewer than 30 graduates means one or two outlier careers could shift these numbers significantly either direction. But as it stands, this represents a risky proposition: your child would likely graduate owing their entire first year's salary to launch a career that may require several job changes before reaching sustainable income.