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BACHELOR'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES

Is a bachelor's degree in Fine and Studio Arts worth it?

Compare cost, debt and earnings across 465 college programs with reportable data.

Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff

−$294,261 over 10 years

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

Not availableTime to earn back the modeled cost
−115%Estimated return after 10 years
$41,265Observed earnings · year 4
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your decision

What do you need to compare?

PRICE SENSITIVITY

The price can change the verdict.

Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.

What stays fixed$41,265 observed annual earnings · 4 years of study · $45,000 alternative annual earnings · ten-year horizonThe marked price is the average college-wide net-price context across reporting institutions. This is a sensitivity test, not a tuition quote or earnings forecast.
WHAT THIS DEGREE PAYS

Outcomes at a glance

$41,265Typical earnings four years after completion
$40,957Average earnings five years after completion
$25,500Typical federal student debt
6thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
70Degrees awarded in 2024–25
440College programs reporting earnings

Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 30 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.

A PRACTICAL READ

Four useful answers about Fine and Studio Arts

How much do Fine and Studio Arts bachelor's degree graduates earn?

The national median is $41,265 four years after completion across reportable bachelor's degree programs in this federal field.

How much federal debt do graduates have?

The median reported federal debt is $25,500. The figure excludes private loans and does not describe every graduate.

Does the college matter for Fine and Studio Arts?

Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $36,511 to $45,548 in observed year-4 earnings.

What careers are related to Fine and Studio Arts?

DegreeVerdict links this field to 12 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.

COMPARE DEGREE LEVELS

More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.

Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.

OPEN PROFILE

Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma

Year-4 earnings
$41,627
Federal debt
$11,594
Programs in the comparison
6
5 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Associate's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$34,728
Federal debt
$10,250
Programs in the comparison
38
38 report earnings →CURRENT VIEW

Bachelor's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$41,265
Federal debt
$25,500
Programs in the comparison
465
440 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Master's Degree

Year-4 earnings
$48,763
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
60
60 report earnings →OPEN PROFILE

Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)

Year-4 earnings
$48,466
Federal debt
Not available
Programs in the comparison
7
7 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$36,511National median$41,26575th percentile$45,548
440 programs report year‑4 earnings.
BEFORE YOU CHOOSE

Compare price, debt and earnings together

$45,54875th-percentile year-4 earnings among reporting programs
$25,500Median federal debt across programs that report it
60Programs with earnings in the top quarter and debt at or below the median
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION

Three useful places to start

Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.

Highest observed earnings

University of Southern California

$72,428 four years after completionLos Angeles, CA · inspect the full program →Lowest reported federal debt

CUNY Hunter College

$10,000 among completer borrowersNew York, NY · inspect the full program →Largest recent graduating class

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

172 reported awards in 2024–25Ann Arbor, MI · inspect the full program →
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP

Where colleges sit for this exact degree

Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.

$66,846Observed year-4 earnings$53,726
$12,319Annual college-wide average net price$46,174
All reporting colleges Lower-price, higher-earnings quadrantAxes trim the outer 5% for readability; outliers remain pinned to the chart edge. Price is institution-wide context, not exact program tuition.
Build your shortlist

Choose colleges offering this exact degree

Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.

30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
WHERE OUTCOMES ARE STRONGEST

See the spread, not just the national number.

1University of Southern California$72,4282Dartmouth College$68,5233University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$66,8464Vassar College$63,4185Sacred Heart University$61,9986Connecticut College$61,3217Brown University$60,9858Ramapo College of New Jersey$60,7579Fordham University$60,51510Binghamton University$60,299

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

Career outlook

Jobs this degree may lead to

Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.

Pay and projected demand

Related careers do not share one outlook

Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection

Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$78,620 median wage93,560 jobs nationwide+2.2% projected growth through 2035 · 8,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$47,570–$163,350 typical wage rangeFine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators$55,490 median wage11,220 jobs nationwide-2.9% projected growth through 2035 · 2,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$31,630–$144,210 typical wage rangeCraft Artists$46,080 median wage4,580 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,000 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$25,960–$71,990 typical wage rangeSpecial Effects Artists and Animators$102,030 median wage19,970 jobs nationwide-0.3% projected growth through 2035 · 4,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$58,600–$177,110 typical wage rangeArtists and Related Workers, All Other$71,240 median wage6,930 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: No formal educational credential$36,580–$136,660 typical wage rangeJewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers$52,540 median wage22,440 jobs nationwide-3.2% projected growth through 2035 · 3,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$35,580–$87,540 typical wage rangeArt Directors$114,850 median wage53,070 jobs nationwide+4.2% projected growth through 2035 · 12,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$64,900–$213,050 typical wage rangeSecondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education$72,040 median wage1,065,210 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 63,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$48,780–$107,600 typical wage rangeArchivists$64,550 median wage7,970 jobs nationwide+3.4% projected growth through 2035 · 1,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$39,970–$110,550 typical wage rangeCurators$63,420 median wage12,150 jobs nationwide+4.9% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$40,470–$107,140 typical wage rangeMuseum Technicians and Conservators$51,440 median wage12,310 jobs nationwide+3.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$33,780–$87,530 typical wage rangePhotographers$44,660 median wage51,760 jobs nationwide-0.7% projected growth through 2035 · 10,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: High school diploma or equivalent$30,820–$91,810 typical wage range

BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.

COMPARE NEARBY FIELDS

Similar degrees in the same subject family

These alternatives share the same broad federal CIP family and credential level. Earnings and debt use the same definitions as this page.

Bachelor's Degree

Design and Applied Arts

Year-4 earnings
$52,204
Federal debt
$26,977
338 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Music

Year-4 earnings
$43,385
Federal debt
$26,000
314 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

Year-4 earnings
$40,073
Federal debt
$25,000
282 reporting programs →Bachelor's Degree

Film/Video and Photographic Arts

Year-4 earnings
$44,232
Federal debt
$25,000
162 reporting programs →
EXPLORE BY STATE

Where this degree has enough data to compare

State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.

NY36 programs$44,418 average earningsCA34 programs$43,011 average earningsOH23 programs$38,596 average earningsPA22 programs$40,902 average earningsTX20 programs$42,296 average earningsMA18 programs$43,670 average earningsWI14 programs$43,328 average earningsNJ12 programs$47,581 average earningsMI12 programs$43,208 average earningsIL12 programs$41,858 average earningsGA12 programs$39,812 average earningsFL12 programs$41,031 average earnings

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.