Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management graduates from Columbia College Chicago earn $50,592 median salary, above the national average for this program. Median debt: $25,000.

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management at Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois • Bachelor's

Median Earnings
$50,592
Graduates earn above the national average for this program

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management at Columbia College Chicago

This page combines two federal data products: IPEDS institutional characteristics for Columbia College Chicago and the College Scorecard field-of-study (FOS) file for Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management 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 87 completers in the most recent cohort for this program at Columbia College Chicago, the denominator behind the median earnings figure.

Median graduate earnings of $50,592 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 $49,073 across all institutions offering Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, graduates here earn above the national average for this program. Across all programs at Columbia College Chicago, the mean median-earnings figure is $49,878, 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 Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management graduates at Columbia College Chicago is $25,000, which translates to roughly $208 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. The descriptive debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.49: 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
$50,592
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
National Average
$49,073
All schools, same program
School Average
$49,878
All programs at Columbia College Chicago

Program Details

Bachelor's
Credential Level
87
Completers (IPEDS)
213
Schools Offering

Debt & ROI

$25,000
Median Debt
0.49
Debt-to-Earnings (Favorable)
$208/mo
Est. Monthly Payment
$50,592
Median Earnings

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management at Other Schools

School Median Earnings Median Debt
The New School $74,936 $24,500
Wagner College $65,373 $27,000
University of Southern California $63,353 $20,353
Pace University $62,064 $25,167
Syracuse University $61,819 $27,000
Indiana University-Bloomington $60,046 $21,908
Berklee College of Music $59,703 $25,543
University of Central Florida $59,649 $20,696
Baldwin Wallace University $55,117 $26,682
Drexel University $54,328 $24,808

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.