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Sports Communication

Types of Degrees Sports Communication Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Sports Communication have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	6
Bachelor’s Degree	814
Master’s Degree	382

What Sports Communication Majors Need to Know

Programs in Sports Communication develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Sports Communication graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 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

Skills built by a Sports Communication program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Sports Communication careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Sports 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	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Sports Communication graduates include:

• Journalism Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Communication Studies Professor
• Rhetoric Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Speech Teacher
• College Professor
• University Faculty Member
• Speech Instructor
• Adjunct Communications Instructor
• Communication Arts Professor
• Mass Communications Professor
• Speech Professor
• Lecturer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	45.8%
Bachelor’s degree	25.9%
Doctoral degree	10.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	7.7%
Post-doctoral training	6.3%
Some college courses	3.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Sports Communication?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 72.7% of Sports Communication degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	328	27.3%
Men	874	72.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	822	68.4%
Asian	14	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	145	12.1%
Black or African American	134	11.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	39	3.2%
Race Unknown	18	1.5%
International Students	24	2.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Sports Communication Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of Sports Communication graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Sports Communication Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Sports 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	1	2
Master’s	1	2

^{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 Sports Communication Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Sports 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
Journalism	9,378
Radio and Television	5,653
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
Journalism, Other	1,098

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.