How much money do Columbia College Chicago graduates make and which majors earn the most upon graduating? Six years after enrolling, alumni who are working have average earnings of $28,600 per year. After ten years, graduates earn $37,300 on average.
In terms of specific areas of study, the following is a ranking of degree programs by the median first-year starting salaries for Columbia College graduates.
The undergraduate degree which initially pays the highest is Business Administration, Management and Operations with a median starting salary of $34,400 followed by Marketing paying $34,300 and American Sign Language graduates who have a median starting income of $30,000 .
Looking at post-graduate and doctorate students, those completing the Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) program rank first with a median initial income of $39,600 followed by Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degree) at $36,000 and Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) who earn $32,000 .
Note about salary data: First year earnings data are aggregated by the US Department of Education and analyzes IRS reported income for Columbia College Chicago graduates who received federal financial aid in the form of grants or loans. Not all graduates or fields of study are represented as data for some degree programs are omitted for privacy purposes.
| Major | Earnings |
|---|---|
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Master's Degree) | $39,600 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Master's Degree) | $36,000 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,400 |
| Marketing (Bachelor’s Degree) | $34,300 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Master's Degree) | $32,000 |
| American Sign Language (Bachelor’s Degree) | $30,000 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $29,900 |
| Journalism (Bachelor’s Degree) | $28,900 |
| Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $27,200 |
| Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor’s Degree) | $26,300 |
| Graphic Communications (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,600 |
| Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management (Bachelor’s Degree) | $25,600 |
| Radio, Television, and Digital Communication (Bachelor’s Degree) | $23,300 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $21,700 |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,700 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies (Bachelor’s Degree) | $20,000 |
| Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,700 |
| Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,600 |
| Dance (Bachelor’s Degree) | $19,200 |
| Music (Bachelor’s Degree) | $18,200 |
Primary data source, U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/?id=144281 IPEDS survey and College Scorecard data for Columbia College Chicago.