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Health Communication

Types of Degrees Health Communication Majors Are Earning

Those studying Health Communication have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	6
Bachelor’s Degree	120
Master’s Degree	227
Doctor’s Degree	9

What Health Communication Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Health Communication emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Health Communication graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Health Communication emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Health Communication program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Health Communication careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Health Communication graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Health Communication professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Health Communication graduates include:

• Instructor
• Communication Skills Instructor
• Journalism Teacher
• Speech Communication Professor
• Speech Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• College Professor
• Speech Teacher
• Media Arts Professor
• Public Speaking Teacher
• Interpersonal Communications Professor
• Lecturer
• Communication Studies Professor
• Communications Faculty Member
• Communications Assistant Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Health Communication graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	44.2%
Bachelor’s degree	27.7%
Doctoral degree	9.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	9.7%
Post-doctoral training	6.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.5%
Some college courses	0.4%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Health Communication?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 84.8% of Health Communication degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	307	84.8%
Men	55	15.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Health Communication graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	206	56.9%
Asian	29	8.0%
Hispanic or Latino	44	12.2%
Black or African American	39	10.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.6%
Two or More Races	18	5.0%
Race Unknown	2	0.6%
International Students	21	5.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Health Communication Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Health Communication graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,317
4 years	$55,248
5 years	$64,495

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $64,495 — roughly 49% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Health Communication Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Health Communication. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	3	2
Master’s	2	5

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Health Communication Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Health Communication graduates earn a median of $55,248 four years after completion — roughly 45% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Speech Communication and Rhetoric	32,944
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	19,636
Communication, General	11,299
Advertising	4,308
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication	4,077
Public Relations/Image Management	4,061
Communication Management and Strategic Communications	1,956
Organizational Communication, General	1,789
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication, Other	1,296
Sports Communication	1,202
Political Communication	211
Technical and Scientific Communication	191

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.