---
title: Is a Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft degree worth the debt?
cip: 5005
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard — Field of Study (2026-06-10 release)
sourceId: src:doe:college-scorecard:field-of-study:2026-06-10
---

# Is a Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **253** colleges (253 of 253 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $21,928 ($22,708 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $23,335 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 1.04× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $19,439–$24,555 — the program you choose moves the number this much.


**How to read this:** these are MEDIANS across college programs, measured **1–2 years after completion** (early career, graduates only) — NOT lifetime earnings, and NOT comparable to a college's 10-years-after-entry figure. They cover **federally-aided completers at programs large enough to report**; small programs are suppressed. A field median is not a prediction of your outcome, not causal (who enters a field differs by field), and **not a "best majors" ranking** — earnings are one dimension of worth. Verify by field at the official College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/).

## By degree level

| Level | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt | Debt/pay | Colleges | Programs reporting |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Certificate | $16,008 | $12,000 | 0.70× | 4 | 4/4 |
| Associate's | $19,275 | $13,375 | 0.74× | 7 | 7/7 |
| Bachelor's | $21,928 | $23,335 | 1.04× | 253 | 253/253 |
| Master's | $30,558 | $92,612 | 3.19× | 40 | 40/40 |

## Where a Bachelor's in this field reports the highest early-career pay

Reflects who enrolls and where, not causal program quality.

| College | Pay (1yr) | Federal debt |
| --- | --- | --- |
| University of Notre Dame (IN) | $41,882 | $19,000 |
| University of California-Berkeley (CA) | $31,067 | $15,012 |
| University of Connecticut (CT) | $31,019 | $25,411 |
| University of Connecticut-Waterbury Campus (CT) | $31,019 | $25,411 |
| University of Connecticut-Avery Point (CT) | $31,019 | $25,411 |
| University of Connecticut-Stamford (CT) | $31,019 | $25,411 |
| University of Connecticut-Hartford Campus (CT) | $31,019 | $25,411 |
| CUNY New York City College of Technology (NY) | $30,591 | — |
| Miami University-Oxford (OH) | $29,766 | — |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas (NV) | $29,759 | $19,663 |
| Full Sail University (FL) | $28,565 | $20,500 |
| Texas State University (TX) | $28,428 | $19,500 |
| Rollins College (FL) | $28,095 | — |
| Western Washington University (WA) | $27,543 | $19,500 |
| Boston College (MA) | $27,539 | — |

RECORDED College Scorecard figures + one DERIVED ratio (debt-to-earnings). Informs and compares; not advice on what to major in. Each college's full record: `/education/<slug>`.

Structured data: `/education/fields/drama-theatre-arts-and-stagecraft.jsonld` · `/education/fields/drama-theatre-arts-and-stagecraft.json`