South Dakota Communications Degrees

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Two of the major institutions in the state of South Dakota have received accreditation from the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). A number of opportunities are available at South Dakota State University, with varying Bachelor's degrees in Journalism, Advertising, and Public Relations. They also offer a Masters in Mass Communication.

A Bachelor of Arts or Science in Media and Journalism is available through the University of South Dakota. Differences between the two include an emphasis in influence and persuasion and the impact course topics have socially with the BA degree, and studies will be more applied toward business and public affairs with the BS programs.

Top Locations for Communications Schools and Job Opportunities in South Dakota

Brookings and Vermillion are the two cities that are campus sites for South Dakota State University and the University of South Dakota, respectively. The former is the fourth-largest city in the state with over 24,000 people, while Vermillion has less than that.

There are opportunities to enter a communications-based career at these locations, especially with the institutions, but Sioux Falls is the largest city in South Dakota that offers the most opportunities overall. In most cases, these media opportunities are generally located in the Eastern portion of the state, and Sioux Falls is at the far Southeastern corner of the state between the boundaries of Minnesota and Iowa.

Media Organizations in Sioux Falls

Two notable news publications based in Sioux Falls are the Argus Leader, a daily newspaper that highlights the latest developments in the city and holds the largest circulation in the state of South Dakota, making it valuable for marketing opportunity. Under the Argus Leader Media umbrella, another publication is the Sioux Falls Business Journal, which covers news stories with a financial lens on a weekly basis.

Many of the popular network affiliates in Sioux Falls are owned by Nexstar Media Group and Gray Television. There are also 25 total radio stations in the city, with popular ownership by Midwest Communications and Townsquare Media.

Click to for more online communications degrees that are taking applications for 2024.

Campus-based and online Communications programs in South Dakota

South Dakota Journalism and Communications Careers, Salaries, and Associations

Reporters and correspondents in the state of South Dakota represent over 200 employed in the workforce and gain an annual mean wage of $32,390. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the vast majority of these positions exist in the Eastern portion of the state and in Sioux Falls.

This location alone makes the state the fifth-highest throughout the United States in terms of highest concentration within a specific area. While salaries do fall below the national average, they are slightly higher in the Sioux Falls metropolitan area and can reach over $63,320 in the top 10 percent of the journalism field.

Over 500 workers are designated as advertising sales agents, and South Dakota is also recognized as the fifth-highest state in terms of job concentration. While Sioux Falls has a significant portion of this job market, another metropolitan area is Rapid City, which also makes slightly above the bigger city on average with a $50,840 annual salary estimate.

Midwest Marketing, an advertising agency in Rapid City, routinely offers job positions for consultants that can help clients with their digital strategy in marketing, social media management and engagement. One of their tasks may be creating a website that will attract various audiences to a clients’ goods and services they offer.

South Dakota Broadcasters Association

The South Dakota Broadcasters Association provides various events to promote radio and television media broadcasters and the organizations that support them. Their goal is to enhance and optimize the news coverage to make residents informed on various issues that will impact them.

They also want to keep people entertained with a variety of music and talk radio stations and broadcast television shows that cater to a large audience. In addition to providing legal resources and broadcast inspections, they also recognize the best workers in the field through awards like the Broadcaster of the Year Award and the Tom Brokaw Award in conjunction with the University of South Dakota.