Communication and Media Studies at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

UW-Whitewater's communication program outperforms most competitors on the metric that matters most: graduates earn more than the national average while carrying typical debt loads. Starting at $39,367 and climbing to $48,323 by year four, these earnings exceed the national median by over $4,000 and place graduates in the 73rd percentile nationally. The debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.66 means graduates face manageable payments—roughly two-thirds of their first-year salary in total debt.

Within Wisconsin's competitive landscape of 27 programs, Whitewater lands solidly in the middle (60th percentile), trailing schools like Edgewood and UW-Superior by a few thousand dollars annually. However, with an 83% admission rate and a $26,000 median debt burden that's essentially at the state average, accessibility is part of the value here. The 23% earnings growth between years one and four suggests graduates find their footing in the job market reasonably well.

For families concerned about return on investment in a liberal arts degree, this represents a straightforward proposition: better-than-average outcomes at an accessible price point. You won't get the highest earnings in the state, but you'll avoid both excessive debt and the below-average earnings that plague many communication programs nationally.