Master's programs 146
Graduates in 2023-24 1,572
Typical median debt $66,916
Typical earnings 1 yr after $42,359
Typical earnings 4 yrs after $52,930
Earnings to debt 0.6x
Official field: Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Admission figures such as LSAT, MCAT or GRE scores are not part of this federal data, so check each school.
Degree level Programs Typical earnings 1 yr after Typical median debt Master's 146 $42,359 $66,916 Doctoral 36 n/a n/a
Is it worth it? Debt vs first-year pay Each dot is one master's program. Dots above the dashed line have graduates earning more in their first year than the program's median debt.
$0k $0k $16k $40k $31k $79k $47k $119k $62k $158k debt = 1 year of pay University of Idaho: earnings $48,037, debt $41,000 CUNY Brooklyn College: earnings $50,100, debt $36,920 East Texas A&M University: earnings $53,201, debt $33,890 Regent University: earnings $42,359, debt $42,197 Florida State University: earnings $45,486, debt $61,500 New York University: earnings $35,338, debt $107,704 California Institute of the Arts: earnings $39,953, debt $106,392 Columbia University in the City of New York: earnings $46,694, debt $127,000 University of North Carolina School of the Arts: earnings $59,261, debt $65,729 Emerson College: earnings $49,506, debt $41,000 University of Southern California: earnings $45,637, debt $99,370 Loyola Marymount University: earnings $45,045, debt $108,602 Carnegie Mellon University: earnings $57,438, debt $77,283 DePaul University: earnings $43,612, debt $66,916 Savannah College of Art and Design: earnings $39,313, debt $47,833 Chapman University: earnings $29,730, debt $150,568 Pace University: earnings $46,521, debt $139,152 Mary Baldwin University: earnings $38,862, debt $61,036 New York Film Academy: earnings $24,416, debt $111,332 Yale University: earnings $31,728, debt $19,143 George Washington University: earnings $29,210, debt $50,727 Maharishi International University: earnings $24,379, debt $69,140 Median federal debt Median earnings 1 year after Master's programs in theater Highest first-year earnings University of North Carolina School of the Arts $59,261
Carnegie Mellon University $57,438
East Texas A&M University $53,201
CUNY Brooklyn College $50,100
The University of Texas at Austin $49,539
Emerson College $49,506
University of Idaho $48,037
Columbia University in the City of New York $46,694
Filter by school, city or state
College Graduates (2023-24) Earnings 1 yr after Earnings 4 yrs after Median debt CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY 26 n/a $77,516 n/a University of Idaho Moscow, ID 43 $48,037 $70,605 $41,000 San Diego State University San Diego, CA 19 n/a $67,588 n/a CUNY Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY 27 $50,100 $64,923 $36,920 East Texas A&M University Commerce, TX 11 $53,201 $62,924 $33,890 University of Houston Houston, TX 22 n/a $62,281 n/a University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 14 $43,526 $59,013 n/a Regent University Virginia Beach, VA 30 $42,359 $58,972 $42,197 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 35 $45,486 $58,724 $61,500 New York University New York, NY 114 $35,338 $58,054 $107,704 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA 31 $39,953 $57,920 $106,392 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 69 $46,694 $57,723 $127,000 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL 15 n/a $57,026 n/a University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston Salem, NC 26 $59,261 $56,064 $65,729 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO 18 n/a $54,468 n/a Emerson College Boston, MA 18 $49,506 $53,881 $41,000 University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 37 $45,637 $53,569 $99,370 University of Nevada-Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV 7 n/a $53,150 n/a Ohio University-Main Campus Athens, OH 21 $39,821 $53,128 n/a Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA 20 $45,045 $52,957 $108,602 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 35 $57,438 $52,930 $77,283 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 7 n/a $52,495 n/a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 14 $42,557 $52,436 n/a DePaul University Chicago, IL 19 $43,612 $51,971 $66,916 The New School New York, NY 12 n/a $51,836 n/a Hollins University Roanoke, VA 3 n/a $50,189 n/a The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 16 $49,539 $49,771 n/a Wayne State University Detroit, MI 4 n/a $49,640 n/a University of Missouri-Kansas City Kansas City, MO 14 $39,194 $49,306 n/a Villanova University Villanova, PA 15 $46,203 $49,302 n/a Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX 9 $36,856 $48,879 n/a University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 17 $40,283 $48,041 n/a Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA 32 $39,313 $47,617 $47,833 Stephens College Columbia, MO 13 n/a $46,746 n/a Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL 2 n/a $42,708 n/a Chapman University Orange, CA 17 $29,730 $41,394 $150,568 Pace University New York, NY 17 $46,521 $38,903 $139,152 Mary Baldwin University Staunton, VA 43 $38,862 $37,495 $61,036 Brown University Providence, RI 6 n/a $37,270 n/a California State University-Fullerton Fullerton, CA 13 $37,586 $36,154 n/a New York Film Academy Burbank, CA 27 $24,416 $30,262 $111,332 Yale University New Haven, CT 53 $31,728 n/a $19,143 University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 18 $30,159 n/a n/a George Washington University Washington, DC 17 $29,210 n/a $50,727 Maharishi International University Fairfield, IA 18 $24,379 n/a $69,140 California State University-Northridge Northridge, CA 9 $21,997 n/a n/a Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA 17 n/a n/a n/a Adelphi University Garden City, NY 4 n/a n/a n/a Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 9 n/a n/a n/a Asbury University Wilmore, KY 1 n/a n/a n/a Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA 0 n/a n/a n/a Baylor University Waco, TX 3 n/a n/a n/a Binghamton University Vestal, NY 3 n/a n/a n/a Bob Jones University Greenville, SC 2 n/a n/a n/a Boston University Boston, MA 14 n/a n/a n/a Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH 3 n/a n/a n/a CUNY Hunter College New York, NY 6 n/a n/a n/a Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH 9 n/a n/a n/a Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA 2 n/a n/a n/a Columbia College Chicago Chicago, IL 13 n/a n/a n/a Cornell University Ithaca, NY 3 n/a n/a n/a Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI 4 n/a n/a n/a Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL 3 n/a n/a n/a Harvard University Cambridge, MA 9 n/a n/a n/a Houston Christian University Houston, TX 1 n/a n/a n/a Idaho State University Pocatello, ID 0 n/a n/a n/a Illinois State University Normal, IL 8 n/a n/a n/a Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN 15 n/a n/a n/a Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 10 n/a n/a n/a Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH 7 n/a n/a n/a Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA 7 n/a n/a n/a Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 9 n/a n/a n/a Minnesota State University-Mankato Mankato, MN 2 n/a n/a n/a Mississippi University for Women Columbus, MS 12 n/a n/a n/a Missouri State University-Springfield Springfield, MO 8 n/a n/a n/a Montclair State University Montclair, NJ 8 n/a n/a n/a Moravian University Bethlehem, PA 2 n/a n/a n/a Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles, CA 0 n/a n/a n/a National University San Diego, CA 1 n/a n/a n/a Northwestern University Evanston, IL 16 n/a n/a n/a Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 3 n/a n/a n/a Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK 0 n/a n/a $124,534 Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus University Park, PA 4 n/a n/a n/a Pepperdine University Malibu, CA 7 n/a n/a n/a Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA 5 n/a n/a n/a Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 7 n/a n/a n/a Roosevelt University Chicago, IL 9 n/a n/a n/a Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ 1 n/a n/a n/a San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA 6 n/a n/a n/a Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NY 4 n/a n/a n/a Smith College Northampton, MA 2 n/a n/a n/a Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Carbondale, IL 6 n/a n/a n/a Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX 0 n/a n/a n/a Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR 15 n/a n/a n/a Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 5 n/a n/a n/a Temple University Philadelphia, PA 3 n/a n/a n/a Texas State University San Marcos, TX 3 n/a n/a n/a Texas Woman's University Denton, TX 0 n/a n/a n/a The Catholic University of America Washington, DC 11 n/a n/a n/a The Juilliard School New York, NY 7 n/a n/a n/a The University of Montana Missoula, MT 4 n/a n/a n/a The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Knoxville, TN 0 n/a n/a n/a Towson University Towson, MD 6 n/a n/a n/a Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA 5 n/a n/a n/a University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 0 n/a n/a n/a University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Davis Davis, CA 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 12 n/a n/a n/a University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO 1 n/a n/a n/a University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Cincinnati, OH 9 n/a n/a n/a University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Connecticut Storrs, CT 8 n/a n/a n/a University of Florida Gainesville, FL 7 n/a n/a n/a University of Georgia Athens, GA 10 n/a n/a n/a University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 6 n/a n/a n/a University of Iowa Iowa City, IA 13 n/a n/a n/a University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 1 n/a n/a n/a University of Louisville Louisville, KY 4 n/a n/a n/a University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 12 n/a n/a n/a University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA 4 n/a n/a n/a University of Memphis Memphis, TN 4 n/a n/a n/a University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 0 n/a n/a n/a University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 1 n/a n/a n/a University of Mobile Mobile, AL 0 n/a n/a n/a University of Nebraska-Lincoln Lincoln, NE 3 n/a n/a n/a University of New Mexico-Main Campus Albuquerque, NM 3 n/a n/a n/a University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA 7 n/a n/a n/a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 10 n/a n/a n/a University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC 11 n/a n/a n/a University of Oregon Eugene, OR 1 n/a n/a n/a University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Portland Portland, OR 1 n/a n/a n/a University of San Diego San Diego, CA 7 n/a n/a n/a University of South Carolina-Columbia Columbia, SC 6 n/a n/a n/a University of South Dakota Vermillion, SD 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Virginia-Main Campus Charlottesville, VA 0 n/a n/a n/a Utah State University Logan, UT 1 n/a n/a n/a Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA 5 n/a n/a n/a Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 2 n/a n/a n/a Washington University in St Louis St. Louis, MO 5 n/a n/a n/a West Virginia University Morgantown, WV 11 n/a n/a n/a Western Illinois University Macomb, IL 13 n/a n/a n/a
Doctoral programs in theater Filter by school, city or state
College Graduates (2023-24) Earnings 1 yr after Earnings 4 yrs after Median debt Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 1 n/a n/a n/a Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Bowling Green, OH 1 n/a n/a n/a Brown University Providence, RI 2 n/a n/a n/a CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York, NY 11 n/a n/a n/a Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY 4 n/a n/a n/a Cornell University Ithaca, NY 4 n/a n/a n/a Florida State University Tallahassee, FL 3 n/a n/a n/a Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN 1 n/a n/a n/a Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA 4 n/a n/a n/a New York University New York, NY 2 n/a n/a n/a Northwestern University Evanston, IL 5 n/a n/a n/a Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 3 n/a n/a n/a Stanford University Stanford, CA 5 n/a n/a n/a The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 2 n/a n/a n/a Tufts University Medford, MA 3 n/a n/a n/a University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Davis Davis, CA 1 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of California-Santa Barbara Santa Barbara, CA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Chicago Chicago, IL 0 n/a n/a n/a University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Georgia Athens, GA 4 n/a n/a n/a University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 4 n/a n/a n/a University of Maryland-College Park College Park, MD 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Oregon Eugene, OR 1 n/a n/a n/a University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pittsburgh, PA 3 n/a n/a n/a University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 2 n/a n/a n/a University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 n/a n/a n/a Yale University New Haven, CT 0 n/a n/a n/a
Frequently asked questions How much do theater graduates earn? Graduates of the typical master's program earned a median of $42,359 one year after finishing, in 2024 dollars.
How much debt do theater graduate students take on? The typical program's graduates who borrowed left with a median of $66,916 in federal loans taken at that school. Undergraduate loans are not included.
Undergraduate: Theater major
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field of study file, data release of October 15, 2026. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working, not enrolled. One-year figures: graduates of 2020-21 and 2021-22, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. Four-year figures: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars. More on the data .