Master's · Washington, District of Columbia

Is Communication and Media Studies at American University worth it?

High confidence High confidence: 100+ graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 7.4 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $77,636; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $101,423; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $48,292; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Typical borrowing (no graduate net price is published): $51k (likely $51k – $51k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $17k a year vs bachelor's graduates 4 years out in DC; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 7.4 years (likely 5.5–11.5); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$121k (likely −$212k – −$41k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: $133k (likely −$79k – $337k); Today's dollars
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in: not reported / ≤ 10%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Scorecard reports no net price for graduate programs; cost is based on what graduates typically borrowed.