Queens University of Charlotte Communications (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

  • Bachelor's in Communication and Media Studies
  • Private nonprofit university
  • Charlotte, NC
  • About 18 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Queens University of Charlotte communications graduates earn about what communications graduates earn nationally, $36,279 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, more than at 75% of communications programs in the country. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$36,27960th percentile of 577 programs nationally
Earnings after 5 years$53,12546% more than year one
Median federal debt$27,00013th lowest of 20 North Carolina programs
Debt-to-earnings74%North Carolina median 76%, national 69%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all communications bachelor's programs that report the figure.

Five years out, Queens University of Charlotte graduates earn about the national figure and about $6,076 more than the North Carolina median.

Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina communications program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.

Queens University of CharlotteOther North Carolina programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 46% between the first and fifth year.

Queens University of Charlotte grads, year 1$36,279
Queens University of Charlotte grads, year 5$53,125
All North Carolina communications grads, year 5$47,049

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 9.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

70% of graduates (23 of 33) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Charlotte area are about 3% below the national average, so a $36,279 salary here buys what about $37,267 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to communications, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Public Relations Specialists

$67,230

Median pay in North Carolina. 9,910 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 23,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $39,840Top 10%: $136,450

Fundraisers

$66,100

Median pay in North Carolina. 3,700 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,000 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $45,280Top 10%: $104,600

Editors

$73,740

Median pay in North Carolina. 1,870 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 7,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $44,050Top 10%: $103,990

Public Relations Managers

$132,280

Median pay in North Carolina. 1,510 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $79,320Top 10%: $229,270

About Queens University of Charlotte

Communications ranks 3rd of 5 bachelor's programs at Queens University of Charlotte by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($73,479), Business Administration ($54,032), and Communications ($36,279).

Other communications bachelor's programs near Charlotte

Common questions

The median graduate earns $36,279 one year after graduating and $53,125 five years after. The median across communications bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $33,740.

About this data

  • Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
  • Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
  • Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
  • Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of North Carolina comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
  • Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
  • School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the communications program.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
  2. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
  3. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
  4. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Related pages