Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication at Morgan State University

Morgan State's communications graduates start at just $28,091—ranking in the bottom 5% nationally—but this figure is actually typical for Maryland programs in this field. The state's median matches this exactly, placing Morgan in the 60th percentile among Maryland schools. With $31,875 in debt (also the state median), graduates face a challenging 1.13 debt-to-earnings ratio that means borrowing more than a full year's starting salary.

The 43% earnings jump to $40,173 by year four offers some relief, though this still trails the national program median by $6,000. The bigger concern is geographic: Maryland appears to be a particularly weak market for communications careers, with starting salaries lagging far behind the $39,794 national median. Students attending any Maryland school for this degree face similar headwinds, not just those at Morgan State.

For families considering this path, understand that the program itself performs reasonably within Maryland, but the state context creates financial strain. If your student is set on communications and will stay in-state for tuition reasons, Morgan delivers comparable outcomes to other Maryland options. However, if they're willing to relocate after graduation or can access better-paying markets, they should plan for that from day one—internships and job searches focused on higher-paying metro areas could make the debt load more manageable.