Journalism at Eastern Washington University

Is a bachelor's degree in journalism worth $18,000 in debt when comparable Washington programs suggest first-year earnings around $35,000? The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.51 looks manageable on paper—graduates would carry debt equal to roughly half their first salary. That's significantly better than the state median debt of over $20,000 for journalism programs, and the national median of $24,000. However, these figures are estimates based on peer programs in Washington since Eastern Washington's actual graduate outcomes weren't reported due to small class sizes.

The earnings estimate of $35,196 aligns almost exactly with Washington's median for journalism programs and sits slightly above the national benchmark of $34,515. But there's meaningful variation among Washington schools: Gonzaga and Washington State graduates typically earn around $36,000-$37,000 in their first year, while UW-Seattle graduates start closer to $33,000. Eastern Washington likely falls somewhere in this range, but without specific data for this program, it's difficult to know where.

For parents, the relatively low estimated debt burden makes this program less risky than many journalism degrees nationally. But journalism remains a field where internships, portfolio work, and geographic flexibility often matter more than the diploma itself. If your student is committed to journalism and Eastern Washington offers opportunities to build those real-world credentials while keeping debt under $20,000, that's a reasonable foundation—just understand you're making this decision with limited visibility into this specific program's track record.