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ASSOCIATE'S DEGREE · DEGREE PAYOFF · FEDERAL FIELD 5010

Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management: is this associate's degree worth it?

National picture across 3 reporting college programs.

MODELED SCENARIO · Negative payoff

−$277,333 over 10 years

National scenario across reporting associate's degree programs, using median year-4 earnings, their institutions’ average net prices and a typical 2-year duration.

At these assumptions, the estimated earnings premium does not recover the modeled economic investment within ten years.

—Modeled economic break-even

−203%Modeled 10-year ROI

$30,931Observed earnings · year 4

Economic ROI includes direct price and earnings forgone during study · $45,000 comparison earnings · values held flat · see the formula

WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Observed national outcomes

$30,931Median reported earnings · year 4

$31,474Average reported earnings · year 5

$20,000Median federal debt

3thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential

3Reporting programs

3With year-4 earnings

COMPARE CREDENTIAL LEVELS

The same field can produce a different equation.

Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings: $44,263
Federal debt: $21,492
Reporting programs: 2

2 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $30,931
Federal debt: $20,000
Reporting programs: 3

3 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $48,194
Federal debt: $26,000
Reporting programs: 48

44 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings: $64,819
Federal debt: Not available
Reporting programs: 21

21 report earnings →

COLLEGE-TO-COLLEGE RANGE

Where the middle half of programs lands

Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.

Median

25th percentile$29,815National median$30,93175th percentile$30,931

3 programs report year‑4 earnings.

WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1Austin Community College District$47,134 2Full Sail University$30,931 3SAE Institute of Technology-Nashville$29,815

Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking

WHERE THIS FIELD CAN LEAD

Related occupations

Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1121 · 5 crosswalk linksManagers, All OtherSOC 11-9199 · 4 crosswalk linksAgents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and AthletesSOC 13-1011 · 3 crosswalk linksMusic Directors and ComposersSOC 27-2041 · 1 crosswalk linksProducers and DirectorsSOC 27-2012 · 1 crosswalk links

BEST COLLEGES FOR ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT, AND MEDIA MANAGEMENT

Same degree, different outcomes

Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. ROI uses each institution’s average net price as a scenario—not an individual aid offer.

#	College	Location	Earnings, year 4	Federal debt	10-year ROI	Verdict
1	Austin Community College DistrictAssociate's Degree	Austin, TX	$47,134	$14,375	-79%	Negative payoff
2	Full Sail UniversityAssociate's Degree	Winter Park, FL	$30,931	$32,718	-184%	Negative payoff
3	SAE Institute of Technology-NashvilleAssociate's Degree	Nashville, TN	$29,815	$20,000	-209%	Negative payoff

This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.