How much debt do Texas Tech journalism graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $23,250, which ranks 6th lowest of 8 journalism bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $246 a month over 10 years.

Is a journalism degree from Texas Tech worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 78% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 67%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

Do Texas Tech journalism graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 93% (26 of 28) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Texas Tech Journalism (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Journalism
Public university
Lubbock, TX
About 31 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Texas Tech journalism graduates earn less than graduates of most journalism programs nationally, $29,622 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,250 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,500. Several Texas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$29,62220th percentile of 170 programs nationally

Median federal debt$23,2506th lowest of 8 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings78%Texas median 61%, national 67%

How it compares

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

	Texas Tech	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$29,622	$35,675	$34,515
Median federal debt at graduation	$23,250	$21,500	$24,500
Debt as share of first-year pay	78%	61%	67%
Programs compared		9	170

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas journalism program

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

Texas TechOther Texas programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $246 a month, or 10.0% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

93% of graduates (26 of 28) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Lubbock area are about 9% below the national average, so a $29,622 salary here buys what about $32,439 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 journalism, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Editors

$45,950

Median pay in Texas. 6,460 people work in this job in Texas. 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%: $29,040Top 10%: $105,440

Photographers

$41,280

Median pay in Texas. 4,330 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.

Bottom 10%: $24,910Top 10%: $62,720

Writers and Authors

$69,990

Median pay in Texas. 2,320 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,070Top 10%: $125,240

News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists

$48,470

Median pay in Texas. 2,670 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,400 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $28,990Top 10%: $95,830

About Texas Tech

In-state tuition and fees	$11,852 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$24,451 / year
Average net price after aid	$19,070 / year
Admission rate	73%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	69%
Undergraduate students	32,394

Journalism ranks 54th of 59 bachelor's programs at Texas Tech by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer Engineering ($85,619), Computer and Information Science ($82,521), and Petroleum Engineering ($80,460).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $29,622 one year after graduating. The median across journalism bachelor's programs in Texas is $35,675.

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 Texas 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 journalism program.

Sources

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

Journalism bachelor's programs in Texas, ranked9 programs by pay and debt Journalism bachelor's programs in the US, ranked170 programs by pay and debt All Texas Tech programs, ranked59 programs by pay and debt