Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates from California Institute of the Arts earn $41,192 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $27,000.

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at California Institute of the Arts

Valencia, California • Bachelor's

Median Earnings
$41,192
Graduates earn above the national average for this program

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at California Institute of the Arts

This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for California Institute of the Arts and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at the bachelor's credential level. The FOS file is keyed by CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) code, which means earnings and debt figures here reflect only graduates of this specific program – not the school as a whole. IPEDS reports 31 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at California Institute of the Arts, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.

Median graduate earnings of $41,192 represent Treasury-derived wages, deferred compensation, and positive self-employment earnings four years after program completion for federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled. Compared to the national mean of $40,126 across all institutions offering Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at California Institute of the Arts, the mean median-earnings figure is $37,988, providing internal context for whether this specific field out-earns other options at the same institution.

Debt signals complete the ROI picture. The median cumulative federal loan debt for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates at California Institute of the Arts is $27,000, which translates to roughly $225 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.66: reported annual earnings exceed cumulative debt. This is a PlainCollege comparison, not a federal gainful-employment verdict. Program-level debt and four-year post-completion earnings come from the Department of Education’s College Scorecard field-of-study snapshot retrieved in March 2026.

Earnings Comparison

This School
$41,192
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
National Average
$40,126
All schools, same program
School Average
$37,988
All programs at California Institute of the Arts

Program Details

Bachelor's
Credential Level
31
Completers (IPEDS)
848
Schools Offering

Debt & ROI

$27,000
Median Debt
0.66
Debt-to-Earnings (Favorable)
$225/mo
Est. Monthly Payment
$41,192
Median Earnings

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at Other Schools

Other Programs at California Institute of the Arts

Program Median Earnings Median Debt
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft $57,920 $109,180
Film/Video and Photographic Arts $56,207 $96,000
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (current) $41,192 $27,000
Music $40,294 $19,500
Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies $34,026 $61,000
Music $29,494 $44,150
Film/Video and Photographic Arts $29,426 $27,000
Fine and Studio Arts $28,617 $27,000
Fine and Studio Arts $24,720 -
Dance - -

View all 11 programs at California Institute of the Arts →

About the Data

Data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Earnings are median earnings for graduates after completion, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants. Institutional characteristics come from IPEDS. Debt figures represent the median cumulative federal loan debt at graduation.

Debt-to-earnings ratio compares cumulative debt to annual earnings. A ratio below 1.0 indicates that annual earnings exceed total debt, generally considered favorable. Estimated monthly payments assume a standard 10-year repayment plan.

PlainCollege's Scorecard snapshots, retrieved March–July 2026, contain 6,243 postsecondary institutions and 70,827 school-and-program earnings records.