This guide provides helpful information for those looking to enlist in the Navy as a Mass Communication Specialist (MC) during the Fiscal Year 2025.
Some stories need to be told. As a Mass Communication Specialist, that’s your job.
One day, you’re behind the lens capturing history in real time. The next, you’re crafting a story that travels across the world. Whether it’s photography, journalism, graphic design, or video production—MCs do it all.
You’ll document military operations, build high-profile media campaigns, and show the world what it means to serve. Creativity isn’t just encouraged—it’s required. We need Sailors who see things differently, think outside the box, and turn everyday moments into something unforgettable.
Ready to tell the Navy’s story?
Job Description
Mass Communication Specialists (MCs) are Navy enlisted Sailors who produce Navy news releases and feature articles from personal interviews and other sources, as well as taking news and feature photographs, creating photo stories with accompanying Visual Information Record Identification Numbers (VIRINS), captions, and historical data.
MCs do it all—photos, video, graphics, writing. If the Navy’s got a story to tell, they make sure it’s clear, professional, and hits hard.
They gather info, process it, and push it out through websites, press releases, newsletters, videos—whatever gets the message across. Could be a high-speed copier, could be a digital duplicator, could be a camera on the flight deck. They know how to use it.
MCs create visuals—still photos, video, digital graphics—for combat, training, everyday Navy life. They manage Shipboard Information, Training, and Entertainment (SITE) systems. They shoot, edit, write, produce. They even handle speeches for Navy leaders, making sure every word lines up with the mission.
They get assigned all over—on ships, in studios, in the field with combat units. Big carriers, smaller commands, wherever the Navy needs media support. Sometimes they work solo, sometimes in small teams.
Either way, they make sure the right message gets out.
Specific Responsibilities
- Shoot, edit, and produce photo and video content
- Write news stories, press releases, blogs, and feature articles
- Design graphics, digital products, and web pages
- Research and analyze communication strategies
- Work with local media and develop PR campaigns
- Give tours to VIPs, foreign dignitaries, and press
- Assist Public Affairs Officers (PAOs)
Senior MC Responsibilities
- Advise commanders on media relations and press interactions
- Develop communication strategies and content plans
- Speak on behalf of the command when necessary
MCs don’t just document history. They shape how the world sees the Navy.
Different Roles
Communication Director
Oversees news media operations, leadership communication, and community outreach. Coordinates deployments, operations, and exercises for Navy communicators. Manages documentation missions, collects and analyzes data, and ensures accurate communication product releases.
Content Developer
Creates multimedia content, including graphics, audio, photography, video, and written materials. Designs publications, develops animations, storyboards, speeches, and data-driven stories. Crafts interactive and non-linear multimedia products for various distribution channels.
Creative Director
Leads creative teams in designing communication campaigns. Provides feedback on branding, messaging, and visual design. Facilitates brainstorming sessions, analyzes content performance, and oversees the Define – Ideate – Create – Evaluate (DICE) process. Ensures communication strategies align with organizational objectives.
Production Manager
Supervises personnel in Visual Information Centers. Manages resources, budgeting, and customer relations while ensuring compliance with Department of Defense Visual Information policies. May oversee Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS) outlets, radio/television systems, or public affairs broadcasting.
User Experience Director
Uses human-centered design to optimize communication strategies. Conducts research, develops audience profiles, and ensures communication channels are inclusive and effective. Manages usability testing and content strategy to improve engagement and impact.
Rank Structure
Pay Grade | Rate | Abbreviation | Title |
---|---|---|---|
E-1 | Seaman Recruit | SR | Seaman Recruit |
E-2 | Seaman Apprentice | SA | Seaman Apprentice |
E-3 | Seaman | SN | Seaman |
E-4 | Mass Communication Specialist Third Class | MC3 | Petty Officer Third Class |
E-5 | Mass Communication Specialist Second Class | MC2 | Petty Officer Second Class |
E-6 | Mass Communication Specialist First Class | MC1 | Petty Officer First Class |
E-7 | Chief Mass Communication Specialist | MCC | Chief Petty Officer |
E-8 | Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist | MCCS | Senior Chief Petty Officer |
E-9 | Master Chief Mass Communication Specialist | MCCM | Master Chief Petty Officer |
Salary and Benefits
Salary for the First 6 Years
Monthly pay for Navy enlisted Sailors (E-1 to E-6) in the first six years is laid out in the January 2025 Active Duty Pay chart:
Pay Grade | Less than 2 Years | Over 2 Years | Over 3 Years | Over 4 Years | Over 6 Years |
E-1 | $2,108.10 | $2,108.10 | $2,108.10 | $2,108.10 | $2,108.10 |
E-2 | $2,362.80 | $2,362.80 | $2,362.80 | $2,362.80 | $2,362.80 |
E-3 | $2,484.60 | $2,640.60 | $2,800.80 | $2,800.80 | $2,800.80 |
E-4 | $2,752.20 | $2,892.90 | $3,049.80 | $3,204.30 | $3,341.40 |
E-5 | $3,001.50 | $3,203.70 | $3,358.80 | $3,517.20 | $3,763.80 |
E-6 | $3,276.60 | $3,606.00 | $3,765.00 | $3,919.80 | $4,080.60 |
Extra Pays and Allowances
Housing Allowance (BAH):
For members living off-base. Covers rent, based on rank, location, and if they have dependents.
Subsistence Allowance (BAS):
Enlisted get $465.77 monthly for food.
Hazard Duty Pay:
For dangerous jobs. Pays $150-$250 per month, depending on the job.
Sea Pay:
For those assigned to ships or deployed units. Depends on rank and time at sea, from $50 to $750 a month.
Special and Incentive Pays:
Bonuses for certain roles, like air traffic control or unique skills. These can be a few hundred to thousands per year.
Source: Figures are from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Benefits
- Healthcare: Active-duty personnel are eligible for free complete medical and dental treatment. Tricare programs are inexpensive for families to use.
- Housing Accomodation: Depending on location, rank, and family size, free on-base accommodation or a tax-free housing allowance (BAH) for off-base living are available.
- Food: Monthly Basic Allowance for Subsistence (BAS) for food costs is known as the “food allowance.”
- Blended Retirement System (BRS): Conventional pensions are no longer available to active-duty personnel. Rather:
- Thrift Savings Plan (TSP): Up to 5% in government matching and automatic contributions.
- Retirement Pay: After 20 years of service, you’re eligible for monthly payments according on the BRS formula, which combines TSP savings with a calculated pension.
- Education:
- Availability of tuition assistance programs that pay for all or part of college tuition.
- Support for higher education under the post-9/11 GI Bill.
- Navy College Program to support education while on service.
- Life Insurance: Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance (SGLI) provides coverage up to $500,000.
- Vacation: ten or more federal holidays plus thirty days of paid vacation each year.
- Extra Benefits:
- Exchanges and commissaries provide tax-free purchasing.
- Discounted travel via military resorts, access to fitness centers, and leisure amenities.
Training and Career Opportunities
Initial Training
Finish Boot Camp at Great Lakes. Then off to Fort George G. Meade, MD for Class “A” School. This is where you learn the basics—photography, videography, writing, public affairs, and design. You’ll be behind the camera, behind the scenes, making sure the Navy’s story gets told.
School | Location | Length | What You Learn |
Defense Information School (DINFOS) | Fort George Meade, MD | 21 weeks | Photography, video, writing, public affairs, communication strategy |
When you graduate? You get your first assignment. Could be a ship, shore station, or an overseas base. Most MCs get sent to a ship or deployable unit right after school.
What’s Next? Advanced Training
Once you’ve got some experience, there’s more training if you qualify. Some options:
- Digital Multimedia – Next-level video, photo, and digital production
- Intermediate Motion Media – More advanced video storytelling
- Intermediate Public Affairs – Strategy, messaging, handling the media
- Intermediate Photojournalism – Storytelling, investigative journalism
Promotions? Competitive. Performance matters. If you’ve got a college degree, you might qualify to become a Public Affairs Officer (PAO) down the road.
Career Outlook
MCs split their time evenly—50% at sea, 50% at shore stations. Over a 20-year career, you’ll likely serve on ships, bases, and even overseas assignments.
The Navy always needs strong communicators. Right now, about 1,100 men and women work as Mass Communication Specialists—documenting history, telling the Navy’s story, and making sure the right message gets out.
If you’ve got the creativity, drive, and attention to detail, there’s a place for you in this field.
Life After the Navy
MCs come out with serious media skills—useful in a ton of civilian careers. Think:
- Photographer / Videographer (aerial, underwater, field reporting)
- Graphic Designer (layout, branding, animation)
- Social Media Manager (web content, branding, engagement)
- Broadcaster (TV, radio, online content)
- Public Relations / Communications (media coordination, storytelling)
- Reporter / Journalist (news, investigations, interviews)
The skills you pick up can get you into media, entertainment, advertising, marketing, PR—you name it.
Qualifications to Join
Requirements
- Education: High school diploma or equivalent
- ASVAB:
- VE + AR = 115 and VE = 53 (VE not waiverable); or
- PC + AR = 115 and VE = 53 (VE not waiverable)
- Citizenship: Must be a U.S. Citizen
- Security Clearance: Must be eligible
- Service Obligation: 60 months
- Vision: Normal color perception, vision correctable to 20/20
Ideal Candidate Traits
Mass Communication Specialists need to be:
- Creative & Professional – Ability to communicate ideas effectively
- Detail-Oriented – Strong record-keeping and ability to do precise work
- Strong Writers & Speakers – Above-average skills in writing and verbal communication
- Curious & Engaged – Interest in people, stories, and new ideas
- Personable & Mature – Ability to relate to others and represent the Navy professionally
- Team Players – Strong sense of teamwork and collaboration
The enlistment qualification requirements above are current as of Fiscal Year 2025, per the Navy Personnel Command. This information is not readily available to the public. So, contact your local Navy Enlisted Recruiter for the most current requirements to join the Navy as an enlisted Sailor.
More Information
If you wish to learn more about becoming a Mass Communication Specialist (MC), contact your local Navy Enlisted Recruiter. They will provide you with more detailed information you’re unlikely to find online.
You may also be interested in the following related Navy Enlisted jobs: