A wealth of opportunities are available for communication graduates, who typically follow one of three paths upon earning their degree: seek professional employment, pursue a graduate or doctoral degrees, or take part in internships to enhance their resume or in hope of finding long-term employment with a preferred company.
Employment
Because communication knowledge and skills are valuable across all aspects of human endeavor, our graduates find career alternatives in a wide variety of industries and organizations. Below is sample of actual positions held by our graduates, selected to show the breadth of opportunities available.
Sample Careers of Communication Graduates*
|
Director Marketing Communications, Google | Social Media/Public Relations Manager, Nobel Communications |
Superior Court Judge, Superior Court, San Diego, CA | CEO,
American Heart Association |
Trainer, Dale Carnegie Training | Director of Speech and Debate Team, Texas A&M University |
Senior Buyer,
Zulily | Vice President of Strategy Development,
Quicken Loans, Inc. |
President, Southeastern Illinois College | Product Generation Analyst, Amerisure Mutual Insurance Co. |
Certified Speaking
Professional/Author, A Dynamic Speaker | Customer Representative for
Japan Airlines, The Boeing Company |
Recruitment Leader, Apple, Inc. | Marketing Manager, Eddie Bauer |
Director of Florida Operations, The Detroit Tigers | Senior Copywriter, TBWA-G1 |
Organizational Development Manager, Michigan Mutual, Inc. | Professional Speaker/Owner, Tami Evans - Speaker |
President/Attorney,
Law Offices of Henry J. Clark, Jr. P.C. | Director of Student Life, Indiana University - South Bend |
Global Director of Purchasing, Alcoa, Inc. | Trust Officer, Olde Second National Bank |
Marketing Analyst, Federal-Mogul Corporation | Community Liaison, Hewlett Packard Company |
President/CEO
Children's Hospital of
Michigan Foundation | Marketing Communications
Manager, Steelcase, Inc. |
Dean/Vice-Provost, Grand Valley State University | Human Capital Officer USA Financial |
President,
Town and Country Title Agency | Director,
Art Reach of Mid Michigan |
Media Buying Coordinator, Kelly Scott Madison Media Agency | Professor, Monmouth College |
**Information taken from self-reported CMU alumni records of students with a major or minor in Communication or related fields in June of 2017. Listed graduates may have pursued additional education or specialized training to qualify for their positions.
Communication graduates also have opportunities in such fields as the ministry, travel and hospitality, retail, and more.
CAREER STATISTICS
The information below was sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics with wage estimates from 2016. In depth information on each position is available through the included links.
| Occupation | # Jobs in 2014 | Mean Wages | Growth through 2024 |
|---|
Public Relations and Social Media
Specialists | 240,700 | $58,020
yearly | +6%
(Average) |
Public Relations and Fund Raising
Managers | 65,800 | $107,320
yearly | +7%
(Above avg.) |
Advertising, Promotions and
Marketing Managers | 225,200 | $127,560
yearly | +9%
(Above avg.) |
| Marketing Research Analyst | 495,500 | $62,500
yearly | +19%
(Far above avg.) |
Training and Development
Specialists | 252,600 | $59,020
yearly | +7%
(Average) |
Educational Administrators
(Post-Secondary) | 252,600 | $90,760
yearly | +9%
(Above avg.) |
| Teacher (Post Secondary) | 1,313,000 | $75,430
yearly | +13% (Far
above avg.) |
| Human Resources Specialists | 482,000 | $59,180
yearly | +5%
(Average) |
| Human Resources Managers | 122,500 | $106,910
yearly | +9%
(Above avg.) |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,581,800 | $32,300
yearly | +10%
(Above avg.) |
| Sales Managers | 376,300 | $117,960
yearly | +5%
(Average) |
| Financial Analysts | 277,600 | $81,760
yearly | +12%
(Above avg.) |
| Financial Managers | 555,900 | $121,750
yearly | +7%
(Average) |
| Lawyers | 778,700 | $118,160
yearly | +6%
(Average) |
Salary progression and job satisfaction
For students who've earned a Bachelor of Arts with a Communication major, Payscale.com rates job satisfaction as extremely high (5 out of 5), and reports salary progression as follows:
Salary by years experience |
|---|
| Years experience | Average Salary |
| 1 - 4 years | $43,503 |
| 5 - 9 years | $55,879 |
| 10 - 19 years | $76,564 |
| 20 years or more | $105,786 |
* updated August 7, 2017
Graduate Education Opportunities
Recent CMU Communication graduates have continued their educational pursuit by entering doctoral or masters programs at respected programs across the nation, including:
- Texas A&M University
- Arizona State University
- George Mason University
- Michigan State University
- University of Nebraska
- University of Kansas
- Wayne State University
- University of Utah
- Bowling Green State University
- University of South Florida
- University of Georgia
Internships
Numerous students undertake internships each year in areas including: Customer Service, Media Design and Brand Management, Website Design, Sales Representative, Event Planning, Social Media Management, Legislative Intern, Fund Raising, Customer Relations, Marketing Events Coordinator, Human Resources Assistant, Community Outreach, Training, Online Marketing, Social Media Liaison, Survey Research, Market Research and Analysis, and Teaching Assistant.
The following companies and organizations have hosted our interns in recent years:
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Walt Disney World
- Michigan Governor and Senate Offices
- Warner Brothers Records
- Fiat Chrysler
- Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour
- Michigan Special Olympics
- Dow Chemical Company
- United Way
- The Palace at Auburn Hills