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Media associate education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a media associate. Media associates usually study communication, business, or marketing. 80% of media associates hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 1,256 real media associate resumes to see exactly what media associate education sections show.

The most common colleges for media associates are the DePaul University and the DePaul University.

There are also many online media associate courses to help get the education required to be a media associate.

What education do you need to become a media associate?

What degree do you need to be a media associate?

The most common degree for media associates is bachelor's degree, with 80% of media associates earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 80%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 6%
  • High School Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a media associate?

You should major in communication to become a media associate. 19% of media associates major in communication. Other common majors for a media associate include business and marketing.

Most common colleges for media associates

Media associates often get their degrees at DePaul University, New York University, and Michigan State University. Here are the most common colleges for media associates in the US based on their resumes.
Media associate common collegePercentages
DePaul University10.47%
New York University8.72%
Michigan State University6.40%
Northwestern University5.81%
Roosevelt University5.23%

Best majors for media associates

RankMajorPercentages
1Communication18.6%
2Business11.9%
3Marketing10.5%
4Journalism8.8%
5Public Relations6.8%

Best colleges for media associates

The best colleges for media associates are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

A media associate with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for media associates. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become media associates.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Pennsylvania State University

University Park, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$18,454

Enrollment

40,108

6. University of Houston

Houston, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$8,913

Enrollment

37,291

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Syracuse University

Syracuse, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,853

Enrollment

14,759

10. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

20 best online courses for media associates

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Top 10 most affordable universities for media associates

The most affordable schools for media associates are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for media associates are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for media associates.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

7. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

8. USF St. Petersburg

St. Petersburg, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,821

Cost of attendance

19,849

9. University of Central Florida

Orlando, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,368

Cost of attendance

21,034

10. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for media associates

The hardest universities for media associates to get into are Northwestern University, University of Southern California, and Boston University.

Some great schools for media associates are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for media associates based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

4. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. George Washington University, The

Washington, DC • Private

Admissions rate

42%

SAT average

1,380

7. Villanova University

Villanova, PA • Private

Admissions rate

29%

SAT average

1,407

8. Bentley University

Waltham, MA • Private

Admissions rate

43%

SAT average

1,338

9. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

10. Southern Methodist University

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

51%

SAT average

1,395

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for media associates

The easiest schools for media associates to get into are Oklahoma Wesleyan University, barry university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a media associate without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for media associates.

1. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Grand View University

Des Moines, IA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,060

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average media associate salary by education level

According to our data, media associates with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $47,497 annually. Media associates with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $44,118.
Media associate education levelMedia associate salary
Master's Degree$47,497
Bachelor's Degree$44,118

Media associate education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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