Communication and Media Studies at Gordon College

Gordon College's communication program tracks closely with Massachusetts state medians—estimated first-year earnings of $36,380 and debt of $26,500 sit right at the state average for similar programs. Four years out, graduates earn $40,330, showing modest but not dramatic growth. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.73 suggests manageable repayment, though it's worth noting that Gordon's outcomes fall well short of Boston-area powerhouses like Boston College ($55,000) and Northeastern ($47,000), where communication graduates earn 15-40% more.

The challenge here is that these earnings figures are estimates drawn from peer programs across Massachusetts, not actual outcomes from Gordon's own graduates. The Department of Education suppresses data when graduate samples are too small, which means we can't see how Gordon's specific alumni perform compared to the state baseline. The four-year earnings figure provides some real data, but it doesn't tell us whether Gordon students start at the state median or above it.

For parents considering this $26,500 investment, the program appears affordable relative to earnings—you're looking at roughly nine months of first-year salary in debt. However, given that you're working with estimated figures and that Gordon sits in a competitive Massachusetts market where top schools deliver significantly higher outcomes, it's essential to understand what differentiates Gordon's program beyond the numbers we can see.