Graphic Communications programs in Illinois
37 schools in Illinois teach this, at certificate or associate level. The Department of Education publishes earnings for none of them, so the figures below are what the occupation itself pays.
What this work pays in Illinois
Printing Press Operators in Illinois earn a median of $46,260 a year across 9,550 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in Illinois |
|---|---|---|
| Data Entry Keyers | $42,840 | 5,910 |
| Prepress Technicians and Workers | $49,450 | 680 |
| Special Effects Artists and Animators | $81,180 | 630 |
| Etchers and Engravers | $43,450 | 330 |
| Desktop Publishers | $61,350 | 150 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Harold Washington College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College Chicago | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| College of DuPage Glen Ellyn | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| College of Lake County Grayslake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Elgin Community College Elgin | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Highland Community College Freeport | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Illinois Central College East Peoria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 5 |
| John Wood Community College Quincy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 13 |
| Joliet Junior College Joliet | Associate's degree | — | not published | 14 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Kankakee Community College Kankakee | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Lake Land College Mattoon | Associate's degree | — | not published | 11 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College Godfrey | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| McHenry County College Crystal Lake | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 29 |
| Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Morton College Cicero | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Oakton College Des Plaines | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Parkland College Champaign | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Prairie State College Chicago Heights | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Rock Valley College Rockford | Associate's degree | — | not published | 7 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Southwestern Illinois College Belleville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 12 |
| Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| William Rainey Harper College Palatine | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 31 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Graphic Communications — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.