Every occupation the official NCES/BLS crosswalk connects to journalism programs, with BLS pay, the education each job usually needs, what the work involves, and where to go next.
Journalism · CIP 09.0401 · 5 careers · Check one exact major, e.g. 09.0401 Journalism, in the major to career finder
The official NCES/BLS crosswalk maps journalism programs to 5 occupations that such programs typically prepare people for, including Journalist, Editor and Writer. BLS median pay across them runs from $51,120 (Proofreaders and Copy Markers) to $78,580 (Communications Teachers, Postsecondary) in May 2025. The crosswalk describes preparation, not what graduates actually go on to do.
Data Program → related occupations: these are jobs journalism programs typically prepare people for (NCES/BLS crosswalk). Not a guaranteed outcome, and not a record of what graduates do.
Data Filter by the education the job usually needs or its preparation level; sort by pay or by number employed.
| Occupation | Most common education | Job Zone | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Editor | $77,920 | 91,690 | n/a | 4 |
| Writer | $76,910 | 47,940 | n/a | 4 |
| Journalist | $62,200 | 39,250 | n/a | 4 |
| Communications Teachers, PostsecondaryPostsecondary teaching | $78,580 | 29,420 | Master's Degree | 5 |
| Proofreaders and Copy Markers | $51,120 | 4,580 | Bachelor's Degree | 4 |
No occupations match these filters.
Data The education column shows a typical entry level only where O*NET data supports one answer. Check the typical education for Editor, one of the journalism jobs above.
Data BLS national median annual wage, May 2025. These are pay levels of the occupations, not earnings of graduates.
Data The largest related occupations by employment (postsecondary teaching shown in the explorer).
Report news stories for publication or broadcast, describing the background and details of events.
Gather information and develop perspectives about news subjects through research, interviews, observation, and experience.
Active Listening · Reading Comprehension · Speaking
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 09.0401Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
Write text, such as headlines, stories, articles, editorials, or newsletters.
Reading Comprehension · Writing · Active Listening
Mapped from CIP 09.0401Write fiction or nonfiction prose, such as short stories, novels, biographies, articles, descriptive or critical analyses, and essays.
Revise written material to meet personal standards and to satisfy needs of clients, publishers, directors, or producers.
Writing · Reading Comprehension · Time Management
Career guide Salary How to become
Mapped from CIP 09.0401Mark copy to indicate and correct errors in type, arrangement, grammar, punctuation, or spelling, using standard printers' marks.
Read corrected copies or proofs to ensure that all corrections have been made.
Reading Comprehension · Writing · Speaking
Mapped from CIP 09.0401Data Related occupations grouped by government career field, with their pay range.
Data Other programs whose crosswalk occupations overlap with these.
Data A national median for federal-aid graduates of this field: a separate measure from the BLS job pay above.
See earnings by degree level, college spread and federal debt.
The NCES/BLS crosswalk relates instructional programs (CIP 2020) to occupations (SOC 2018) when programs in the CIP category typically prepare individuals directly for jobs in the occupation. This page uses the CIP program series below and shows every non-residual occupation mapped to them that has BLS wages and O*NET data; each occupation lists the CIP codes that map to it.
Searches this page answers include “what can you do with a journalism degree”, “what can i do with a journalism degree”, “what jobs can you get with a journalism degree” (Ahrefs, U.S.).
