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Journalism at Pepperdine University

Malibu, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's Degree
38 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
42
Optimistic
38
Base Case
31
Pessimistic
Earnings $42,536/yr (24% 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 $488K $374K $268K
Earnings Multiple 1.8x 1.4x 1.0x
Viable Career Paths 8 of 8 8 of 8 4 of 8
DegreeWorth Score 42 38 31

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition
$266,968
Reported Earnings (4 Year)
$45,717
7% 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

Journalism at Other Schools

George Washington University ($52,015) Northeastern University ($51,855) Northwestern University ($50,426) California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo ($48,637) University of Maryland-College Park ($46,893) Brigham Young University ($46,652) Lehigh University ($45,256) University of Southern California ($44,651)

Other Majors at Pepperdine University

Business Administration, Management and Operations ($69,751) Economics ($54,267) Communication and Media Studies ($48,398) Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication ($45,988) Political Science and Government ($42,306) International/Global Studies ($36,920) Health and Physical Education/Fitness ($34,388) Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies ($33,228)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Journalism at Pepperdine University?
This program scores 38/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 42 (optimistic) to 31 (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 $268,299 (pessimistic) to $487,627 (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 Pepperdine University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 1.4x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 1.0x. 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.