Communication, Journalism, at SUNY Buffalo State University

Buffalo State's communication and journalism program starts slow but tells a more interesting story than the first-year numbers suggest. With just $30,049 in initial earnings, graduates earn less than most peers—landing in the 27th percentile nationally and 40th percentile among New York programs. But by year four, earnings jump 53% to $46,026, showing meaningful career progression that many communication programs struggle to deliver.

The debt picture is reasonable at $23,405, creating a 0.78 debt-to-earnings ratio that most graduates should be able to manage, even with that modest starting salary. More than half of students here receive Pell grants, suggesting the program serves economically diverse students who may be getting their first foothold in media careers. The moderate sample size means these outcomes are based on real data, not a handful of outliers.

The central question is whether your family can weather that rough first year or two. If your student needs immediate earning power after graduation—perhaps to cover living expenses in expensive metro areas—that $30,000 starting point will be tight. But if they can live affordably (easier in Buffalo than NYC) while building experience, the trajectory is solid. Among New York's limited options for this major, Buffalo State sits in the middle of the pack with debt levels that won't derail the climb.