Communication and Media Studies at Kean University

Kean's Communication and Media Studies program starts rough but shows surprising momentum—graduates earn just $28,000 in their first year, landing in the 15th percentile nationally. That's about $7,000 below the national median and $2,400 below New Jersey's already-modest average for this major. But four years out, earnings jump 58% to $44,300, surpassing not just the state median but also programs at Fairleigh Dickinson and The College of New Jersey.

This creates an unusual calculation for families. The debt load of $25,250 equals nearly a full year's starting salary, which means lean early years even with income-driven repayment plans. You're looking at a graduate who may need financial support or roommates well into their twenties. Yet by year four, that same graduate is earning roughly what Rutgers grads make right out of the gate—a meaningful catch-up for a program serving many first-generation students (46% receive Pell grants).

The question is whether your family can weather those difficult first few years. If your student has financial cushion—can live at home, has family support, or minimal other expenses—the eventual earnings trajectory makes this workable. But if they'll need to be financially independent immediately after graduation, programs with stronger starting salaries (even if they cost slightly more) might actually be the safer bet.