Publishing.
Data details: Graduation rate, gender, ethnicity, and summary are for this specific degree (6-digit CIP) from IPEDS. Salary, debt, and related financial outcomes are based on the degree category (4-digit CIP) from the College Scorecard API. ← Back to search
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Please use your own discretion when interpreting these results. For certain degrees, a limited number of institutions report to the government's College Scorecard API, which may cause the data to be skewed or less representative of national trends. Consider these figures as informative but not definitive, and consult additional sources or advisors for important decisions.
Debt to Income Ratio
Debt-to-income analysis for Publishing.: The DTI for this program is 62.7%, which is within the generally accepted range for higher education. While not as low as some top-performing degrees, this ratio suggests that most graduates can manage their student loan payments, especially if they secure employment in related fields. If you are considering Publishing., compare your expected starting salary (currently $43065) to the average debt ($27000) to ensure it fits your financial goals in .
Degrees with a DTI between 0.5 and 0.8 are common, but it's wise to plan your budget and consider loan repayment options.
Important financial note for Publishing.: The debt-to-income ratio for this program is 62.7%, which is above the recommended maximum of 80%. This means that, on average, graduates may need to dedicate a significant portion of their first-year earnings to student loan payments. If you are considering Publishing., be sure to weigh the average starting salary ($43065) against the typical student debt ($27000), and explore scholarships, grants, or alternative funding sources to reduce your financial burden in and beyond.
Key Insights
If you’re thinking about Publishing., you’re looking at a field that’s both challenging and rewarding. Typical starting salaries are around $43065, with grads carrying about $27000 in student loans and a debt-to-income ratio of 0.63—which is manageable for most.
Each year, over 371 students complete this major, so you’ll have plenty of peers to connect with. Whether you’re motivated by salary, job outlook, or the chance to build something meaningful, Publishing. can help you get there. Make the most of your college years by seeking out hands-on experiences and building your network.
Degree Overview
Publishing (CIP 09.1001) is a field focused on the management, production, and distribution of printed and digital content. While many people associate publishing strictly with books, the modern field encompasses magazines, digital journals, corporate reports, and web-based media. It is the bridge between an author's raw idea and the final product consumed by an audience.
This degree is ideal for students who are meticulous, creative, and business-minded. It is a path for "literary entrepreneurs" who want to understand the entire lifecycle of a story—from the first editorial edit to the marketing strategy that puts it on a bestseller list.
What Is a Publishing Degree?
A Publishing degree teaches the technical and commercial processes of the media industry. It covers the "three pillars" of the field: Editorial (shaping the content), Production (designing and manufacturing the product), and Marketing/Sales (finding the audience). Because the industry has moved into the digital age, these programs also focus heavily on e-books, digital rights management, and social media promotion.
Schools offer this degree to:
- Train editors to refine and polish manuscripts
- Teach the legalities of intellectual property and global copyrights
- Develop specialists in book design and digital formatting
- Prepare business leaders to manage the financial risks and rewards of the media world
What Will You Learn?
Students learn that a book or magazine is both a work of art and a commercial product that requires careful coordination to succeed.
Core Skills You’ll Build
Most students learn to:
- Edit text for clarity, style, and grammatical accuracy (Copyediting)
- Use professional design software like Adobe InDesign for page layout
- Negotiate contracts and manage "Subsidiary Rights" (like movie deals or foreign translations)
- Create marketing plans that use data to target specific reader demographics
- Understand the economics of printing, distribution, and retail returns
- Manage digital publishing platforms and metadata for search engine optimization (SEO)
Topics You May Explore
Coursework is a mix of humanities and business management:
- Editorial Principles: The relationship between an editor and an author.
- Copyright and Media Law: Protecting the rights of creators and publishers.
- Digital Publishing Technology: Creating e-books and interactive digital media.
- Graphic Design for Books: Typography and cover art strategy.
- Global Publishing: How books are sold and translated in international markets.
- Marketing and Publicity: Building "buzz" around a new release.
What Jobs Can You Get With This Degree?
Graduates fill essential roles within publishing houses, media agencies, and corporate communications departments.
Common job roles include:
- Acquisitions Editor: Finding new authors and deciding which books to publish.
- Managing Editor: Overseeing the production schedule and budget of a publication.
- Publicist: Arranging interviews and reviews to promote a new book.
- Literary Agent: Representing authors and negotiating deals with publishers.
- Production Coordinator: Managing the physical printing or digital conversion process.
- Rights Manager: Selling the rights to translate books or turn them into films.
Where Can You Work?
Publishing professionals work in environments ranging from small independent presses to global media conglomerates:
- The "Big Five" Publishers: Large houses like Penguin Random House or HarperCollins.
- University Presses: Publishing academic and scholarly research.
- Magazine and Periodical Groups: Working on weekly or monthly digital and print issues.
- Corporate Communications: Managing the reports and white papers for large companies.
- Literary Agencies: Working directly with authors to develop their careers.
- Self-Publishing Platforms: Helping independent authors navigate the market.
How Much Can You Earn?
Salaries in publishing often start lower but grow significantly as you move into management or specialized rights roles.
- Editors: Median annual salary of approximately $63,000–$75,000.
- Marketing Managers: Median annual salary of around $110,000–$135,000.
- Public Relations Specialists: Salaries typically range from $60,000 to $85,000.
- Literary Agents: Often work on commission, with high-earners making over $150,000.
Is This Degree Hard?
The difficulty is in the extreme attention to detail and the competitive nature of the industry. You must be an excellent reader and writer, able to spot a single typo in a 400-page book. You must also be comfortable with "subjective" decisions—deciding which stories are worth the financial risk of publishing. It requires high emotional intelligence and strong organizational skills.
Who Should Consider This Degree?
This degree may be a good fit if you:
- Are a "bookworm" who reads everything you can get your hands on
- Love the idea of helping an author perfect their story
- Enjoy the business side of art—marketing, sales, and contracts
- Have high attention to detail and enjoy "polishing" work until it is perfect
- Want a career that allows you to shape the culture and ideas of the future
How to Prepare in High School
- Take advanced English, Creative Writing, and History classes
- Join the school newspaper, literary magazine, or yearbook staff
- Start a book review blog or a "BookTok" channel to practice audience engagement
- Volunteer at a local library or bookstore to see what customers are buying
- Practice "close reading"—learning to analyze how a story is built
A deep love for the written word combined with a sharp eye for detail and business strategy are the keys to a successful career in publishing.
Personality Fit (RIASEC Profile)
Official assessment tool by the U.S. Department of Labor