Communication and Media Studies at Lycoming College

Lycoming's Communication and Media Studies program starts graduates at just under $30,000—about $5,000 below the national median and $2,700 below Pennsylvania's state average. That 22nd percentile national ranking tells you this is a bottom-tier outcome compared to other communications programs nationwide. Even within Pennsylvania's 63 communications programs, it lands right at the median (40th percentile), while carrying the state's typical debt load of $27,000.

The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 means graduates owe nearly a full year's salary, which strains the budget when starting salaries barely crack $30,000. Four years out, earnings do climb 29% to $38,264, which approaches what top Pennsylvania programs deliver immediately after graduation. Still, you're looking at a significant gap: Penn and Villanova graduates start at $52,000-$53,000—nearly double Lycoming's first-year figure.

The small sample size here matters—with fewer than 30 graduates tracked, one or two outlier outcomes could skew these numbers significantly. For families considering this program, the core question is whether Lycoming's particular strengths justify starting $8,000 behind Pennsylvania's median communications graduate. That's a lot of ground to make up, even with decent earnings growth over time.