Journalism at California State University-Long Beach
Long Beach, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
54
Optimistic
46
Base Case
36
Pessimistic
Earnings
$28,844/yr (-16% vs median)
AI Risk
Very High (64% exposed)
Job Market
Large (50,500 openings/yr)
How AI Changes the Outlook
Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Journalism graduates.
| Optimistic No Disruption |
Base Case Gradual AI |
Pessimistic Aggressive AI |
|
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Year Earnings | $650K | $325K | $182K |
| Earnings Multiple (In-State) | 23.2x | 11.6x | 6.5x |
| Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) | 8.6x | 4.3x | 2.4x |
| Viable Career Paths | 8 of 8 | 8 of 8 | 4 of 8 |
| DegreeWorth Score | 54 | 46 | 36 |
10-Year Earnings Projection
*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.
4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$28,032
Out-of-state: $75,552
Median Debt at Graduation
$15,000
6.2 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$54,294
88% growth from Year 1
Career Paths
Where Journalism graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 50,500 combined openings per year.
| Career Path | Wage | Openings/yr | Growth | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Communications teachers, postsecondary | $77,800 | 2,700 | +2.1% | 43% |
| Editors | $75,260 | 9,800 | +0.6% | 65% |
| Writers and authors | $72,270 | 13,400 | +3.6% | 89% |
| Film and video editors | $70,980 | 3,600 | +4.0% | 53% |
| News analysts, reporters, and journalists | $60,280 | 4,100 | -3.9% | 65% |
| Proofreaders and copy markers | $49,210 | 1,900 | -0.6% | 98% |
| Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys | $45,680 | 2,300 | -5.5% | 65% |
| Photographers | $42,520 | 12,700 | +1.8% | 39% |
Compare & Explore
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DegreeWorth Score for Journalism at California State University-Long Beach?
This program scores 46/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 54 (optimistic) to 36 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Journalism career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Journalism graduates retain 8 of 8 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $181,936 (pessimistic) to $650,093 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Journalism graduates?
The career paths mapped to Journalism have roughly 50,500 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Journalism at California State University-Long Beach worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 11.6x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.5x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections.
"Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI.
Last updated 2025.