Majors

Best Colleges for Theater, by Earnings

743 of the colleges we track award a bachelor's degree in Theater, about 11,843 degrees a year. Across the 240 that report earnings, graduates make a median of $39,980 four years after finishing.

Rank	College	State	Median earnings, 4 years out	Degrees a year	Acceptance rate
1	University of Notre Dame	IN	$64,880	61	11.3%
2	Brandeis University	MA	$58,676	10	40.5%
3	University of California-Davis	CA	$56,823	16	41.8%
4	University of California-Berkeley	CA	$55,555	30	11%
5	Drake University	IA	$54,950	13	63.9%
6	Miami University-Oxford	OH	$54,215	16	75.4%
7	University of Cincinnati	OH	$54,000	61	85.3%
8	Florida Southern College	FL	$51,925	29	64.4%
9	University of Pittsburgh	PA	$51,775	11	58.1%
10	Chapman University	CA	$51,611	105	65.4%
11	Western Connecticut State University	CT	$50,955	32	87%
12	Pepperdine University	CA	$50,594	23	62.9%
13	Rhode Island College	RI	$50,335	16	91.8%
14	University of Utah	UT	$49,802	47	86%
15	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign	IL	$49,323	30	42.4%
16	Northwestern University	IL	$49,316	89	7.7%
17	Loyola Marymount University	CA	$49,135	121	45.1%
18	University of Texas at Austin	TX	$48,781	57	26.6%
19	University of North Carolina School of the Arts	NC	$48,664	90	30%
20	Manhattanville University	NY	$48,629	17	87.3%
21	Texas State University	TX	$48,502	168	89.3%
22	University of Central Missouri	MO	$48,179	10	63.8%
23	Saint Edward's University	TX	$47,974	14	81.4%
24	Binghamton University	NY	$47,945	14	38.6%
25	California State University-Sacramento	CA	$47,676	31	94%
26	University of Oklahoma	OK	$47,587	43	76.6%
27	West Texas A & M University	TX	$47,175	17	98.7%
28	University of Puget Sound	WA	$46,791	8	72.3%
29	Radford University	VA	$46,725	10	89.5%
30	North Central College	IL	$46,605	16	77.3%
31	Ithaca College	NY	$46,563	55	69%
32	Fordham University	NY	$46,317	34	59.3%
33	University of Northern Colorado	CO	$46,089	53	85.9%
34	University of Michigan	MI	$45,888	54	15.6%
35	University of Evansville	IN	$45,838	20	77.6%
36	Baylor University	TX	$45,706	30	51.3%
37	Portland State University	OR	$45,692	8	90.9%
38	University at Buffalo	NY	$45,677	28	74.2%
39	University of South Florida	FL	$45,671	22	43.2%
40	George Mason University	VA	$45,656	34	87.5%
41	University of New Hampshire	NH	$45,504	23	88.2%
42	Nebraska Wesleyan University	NE	$45,420	25	79.8%
43	James Madison University	VA	$45,225	63	71.5%
44	St Olaf College	MN	$45,023	12	48.3%
45	College of Charleston	SC	$44,991	24	60%
46	Appalachian State University	NC	$44,986	29	90.1%
47	Pennsylvania State University	PA	$44,913	32	60.6%
48	San Francisco State University	CA	$44,848	38	96.4%
49	University of Nebraska-Lincoln	NE	$44,825	13	87.5%
50	Emerson College	MA	$44,760	102	51.3%
51	Western Michigan University	MI	$44,694	36	84.6%
52	University of Montevallo	AL	$44,624	23	53.9%
53	Ramapo College of New Jersey	NJ	$44,565	4	70.6%
54	University of Arizona	AZ	$44,471	38	86.1%
55	Pacific Lutheran University	WA	$44,459	16	78%
56	Hofstra University	NY	$44,388	37	68.1%
57	Florida State University	FL	$44,115	75	24.2%
58	University of California-Santa Barbara	CA	$44,106	33	33%
59	DePaul University	IL	$44,095	100	75.9%
60	Syracuse University	NY	$44,045	61	45.9%
61	Virginia Commonwealth University	VA	$43,957	47	92.6%
62	Central Michigan University	MI	$43,916	14	89.8%
63	Long Island University	NY	$43,904	63	86.2%
64	Suffolk University	MA	$43,553	9	82.3%
65	Lindenwood University	MO	$43,329	18	56.8%
66	California State University-Northridge	CA	$43,240	46	93.5%
67	Ball State University	IN	$43,082	72	85.5%
68	University of Minnesota	MN	$43,055	41	79.8%
69	University of Georgia	GA	$43,046	21	37.7%
70	University of Central Florida	FL	$42,954	82	40.1%
71	Metropolitan State University of Denver	CO	$42,870	20	98.8%
72	Michigan State University	MI	$42,820	24	84.8%
73	Ohio University-Main Campus	OH	$42,796	43	85%
74	Rutgers University-New Brunswick	NJ	$42,712	45	58.1%
75	Rutgers University-Camden	NJ	$42,712	10	66.3%
76	Rutgers University-Newark	NJ	$42,712	6	71.4%
77	DeSales University	PA	$42,571	32	77.1%
78	Texas Christian University	TX	$42,483	32	44.5%
79	California State University-Fullerton	CA	$42,455	99	90.5%
80	University of Minnesota-Duluth	MN	$42,438	15	88.8%
81	University of North Texas	TX	$42,362	46	72.2%
82	New York University	NY	$42,348	421	7.7%
83	University of Houston	TX	$42,301	27	73.9%
84	Loyola University Chicago	IL	$42,195	20	81.6%
85	Muhlenberg College	PA	$42,092	106	72%
86	CUNY New York City College of Technology	NY	$41,880	26	80.3%
87	San Diego State University	CA	$41,812	49	36.2%
88	Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi	TX	$41,773	21	88.6%
89	Arizona State University	AZ	$41,745	37	89.9%
90	University of Maryland	MD	$41,742	38	44.8%
91	University of the Incarnate Word	TX	$41,720	13	98.1%
92	University of Florida	FL	$41,707	54	24.2%
93	Oklahoma City University	OK	$41,540	38	77%
94	Stephen F Austin State University	TX	$41,450	36	94%
95	The University of Tennessee-Knoxville	TN	$41,414	12	41.6%
96	East Carolina University	NC	$41,394	25	89.2%
97	University of California-San Diego	CA	$41,389	63	26.7%
98	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill	NC	$41,362	23	15.3%
99	Indiana University	IN	$41,328	36	78.2%
100	CUNY Brooklyn College	NY	$41,233	17	58.4%

Showing the top 100 of 240 colleges that report earnings. 503 more colleges award this degree but have no earnings figure, usually because the program is small.

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Frequently asked questions

Which college has the highest-paid Theater graduates?

University of Notre Dame ($64,880), Brandeis University ($58,676), University of California-Davis ($56,823), University of California-Berkeley ($55,555), Drake University ($54,950) report the highest median earnings four years after graduation.

How much do Theater majors make?

The median across 240 colleges is $39,980 four years after graduation. By college it runs from $20,673 to $64,880.

Which colleges have the biggest Theater programs?

By bachelor's degrees awarded in a year: New York University (421), Savannah College of Art and Design (220), Texas State University (168), University of Southern California (150), Columbia College Chicago (140).

Does a higher-earning program mean a better program?

Not on its own. Earnings reflect where graduates live, what jobs they take, and who enrolled in the first place, as well as the teaching. The figures cover only graduates who received federal financial aid, and small programs are left out, so a college missing from this list may still have a strong department.

Source: College Scorecard, Most Recent Data by Field of Study (U.S. Department of Education), 2026-06-10 release, federal program category "Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft". Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal financial aid, working and not enrolled, four years after a bachelor's degree.