---
title: Is a Visual and Performing Arts, General degree worth the debt?
cip: 5001
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 Visual and Performing Arts, General degree worth the debt?

Leading with the **Bachelor's**, across **55** colleges (55 of 55 programs report earnings):

- **Median pay, 1 year after completion:** $25,314 ($26,508 at 2 years)
- **Median federal debt:** $23,320 (federal loans only)
- **Debt-to-earnings:** 0.95× a first year's pay
- **Across-college spread (middle 50%):** $21,666–$27,946 — 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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Associate's | $18,196 | $7,000 | 0.39× | 9 | 9/9 |
| Bachelor's | $25,314 | $23,320 | 0.95× | 55 | 55/55 |
| Master's | $38,684 | $58,956 | 1.75× | 4 | 4/4 |

## 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 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| College of the Holy Cross (MA) | $39,388 | $22,375 |
| Otis College of Art and Design (CA) | $36,531 | $27,000 |
| Hamline University (MN) | $32,798 | — |
| The University of Texas at Austin (TX) | $32,207 | $21,250 |
| University of Florida (FL) | $30,849 | $18,657 |
| University of Florida-Online (FL) | $30,849 | $18,657 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas (TX) | $30,784 | $19,500 |
| Academy of Art University (CA) | $29,153 | $31,000 |
| SUNY Oneonta (NY) | $29,019 | $19,891 |
| University of Central Florida (FL) | $28,892 | $22,481 |
| Grand Canyon University (AZ) | $28,672 | $26,465 |
| State University of New York at New Paltz (NY) | $28,650 | $18,000 |
| Boston University (MA) | $28,215 | — |
| University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (WI) | $28,110 | $22,398 |
| The University of Tennessee-Martin (TN) | $27,782 | $19,401 |

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/visual-and-performing-arts-general.jsonld` · `/education/fields/visual-and-performing-arts-general.json`