University of Houston Radio, TV, and Digital Media (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Radio, Television, and Digital Communication
- Public university
- Houston, TX
- About 102 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
University of Houston radio, TV, and digital media graduates earn less than graduates of most radio, TV, and digital media programs nationally, $24,250 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $23,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $24,250. Several Texas programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, University of Houston graduates earn about the national figure but about $1,603 less than the Texas median. Several Texas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.
Debt and first-year pay at every Texas radio, TV, and digital media program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.
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 93% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $7,617 less in their first year than other graduates. They also borrowed more. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $244 a month, or 12.1% 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
89% of graduates (47 of 53) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Houston area are about 1% below the national average, so a $24,250 salary here buys what about $24,587 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 radio, TV, and digital media, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Producers and Directors
$71,710Median pay in Texas. 6,610 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.
Web and Digital Interface Designers
$102,650Median pay in Texas. 5,910 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 6% from 2025 to 2035, with about 8,300 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
News Analysts, Reporters, and Journalists
$48,470Median 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.
Film and Video Editors
$61,220Median pay in Texas. 1,040 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About University of Houston
Radio, TV, and Digital Media ranks 54th of 54 bachelor's programs at University of Houston by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($86,136), Nursing ($85,740), and Chemical Engineering ($84,468).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $24,250 one year after graduating and $46,787 five years after. The median across radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Texas is $31,762.
The median federal loan balance is $23,000, which ranks 9th lowest of 14 radio, TV, and digital media bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $244 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 95% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 78%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.
Most do. 89% (47 of 53) were working in Texas one year after graduating.
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 radio, TV, and digital media 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