According to the Red and Black, which is an independent student newspaper from the University of Georgia, 40% of those who graduated from a journalism and mass communication program in 2008 were unable to find employment. This data seems to be in keeping with information released by the university’s James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, which found that the number of job offers graduates receive as well as job interview opportunities and full time employment levels fell in 2008.

More specifically, the researchers found that only 6 out of 10 graduates obtained full-time employment during the six to eight months that followed their graduation. Unfortunately for those who had pursued a degree in the field, these figures are the lowest they have been in the 23 years that these surveys have been conducted.

The researchers have also found that these difficult economic times have been harder on journalism majors than on those who studied other areas. While the job market was less hostile for those who studied public relations, it was more hostile for those who studied telecommunications, print media and advertising.