Radio, Television, and Digital Communication at Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern's Radio, Television, and Digital Communication program starts graduates at just under $25,000 annually—well below both the state median ($32,000) and national benchmarks ($30,000). Within Georgia alone, this program ranks in just the 25th percentile, meaning three-quarters of comparable programs produce better earnings outcomes. For context, University of Georgia's media graduates earn roughly $8,000 more in their first year, while Savannah College of Art and Design graduates start at $40,000. The debt load of $28,000 exceeds what typical students borrow for this degree and creates a concerning 1.12 debt-to-earnings ratio right out of college.

The 28% earnings growth over four years does show improvement—graduates reach nearly $32,000 by year four—but this still leaves them trailing peers from other Georgia programs who started ahead and likely grew as well. The moderate sample size suggests these numbers are reasonably representative, not statistical outliers.

For families considering this program, the fundamental challenge is clear: your graduate will likely spend several years earning less than what they borrowed, in a state where better media program options exist. Unless your student has compelling reasons to attend Georgia Southern specifically (location, campus fit, particular faculty), programs at UGA or even SCAD would offer stronger financial positioning in the same field.