Bachelor's · Odessa, Texas
Is Communication and Media Studies at The University of Texas Permian Basin worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Pays back fast: graduates typically recover the cost in about 1.3 years.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $59,349
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- $65,312
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $13,500
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $22k (likely $22k – $29k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- $28k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in TX
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- 1.3 years (likely 0.9–1.8)
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- $102k (likely $16k – $202k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- $435k (likely $263k – $649k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 41%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Change income, residency or loans Compare Communication and Media Studies at other schools
🎬 Getting ready in high school
Students heading toward media & storytelling majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.
AP classes
- AP English Language and Composition
- AP English Literature and Composition
- AP Seminar
IB Higher Level
- Language A: Literature HL or Language and Literature HL
- Film HL
Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.
Other majors at The University of Texas Permian Basin
- Petroleum Engineering (Bachelor's)$100,059
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$94,269
- Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's)$91,215
- Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's)$87,329
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$86,141
- Public Administration (Master's)$69,597
- Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's)$66,490
- Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's)$62,226
- Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education (Master's)$61,032
- Special Education and Teaching (Master's)$59,290
- Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's)$56,608
- Marketing (Bachelor's)$54,598
Communication and Media Studies at other schools in Texas
- The University of Texas at Austin$72,210
- Texas A&M University-College Station$64,533
- Texas Christian University$63,531
- Trinity University$59,494
- Southwestern University$59,372
- Baylor University$58,915
- The University of Texas at El Paso$58,451
- Texas Tech University$58,196
- Southern Methodist University$57,636
- University of Houston-Downtown$56,903