California Institute of the Arts Studio Art: Salary, Debt & Careers

Earnings, 4 years after graduating

$28,617

U.S. median for this major: $41,590.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after

—

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation

$27,000

About 94% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,361.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays

$46,080 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $77,560. College Scorecard.

Studio Art at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Studio Art graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

Rank	College	Earnings, 4 yrs	Median debt	Avg. net price	Graduation
1	University of Southern California	$72,428	$21,125	$32,740	92%
2	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo	$59,721	$19,198	$16,665	86%
3	Loyola Marymount University	$58,468	$23,600	$48,381	79%
4	University of California-Berkeley	$51,699	$13,254	$13,481	93%
5	University of California-San Diego	$48,506	$15,218	$12,470	86%
6	Biola University	$47,596	$27,000	$31,495	68%
7	University of California-Santa Barbara	$46,428	$16,978	$16,109	83%
8	University of California-Los Angeles	$46,173	$14,000	$12,548	93%
9	California State University-East Bay	$46,136	$16,625	$9,320	48%
10	Sonoma State University	$46,022	$18,460	$12,885	58%
11	California State University-Channel Islands	$45,548	$15,000	$9,849	51%
12	California State University-Chico	$45,468	$14,990	$14,480	63%
13	California State University-Fullerton	$44,365	$16,448	$6,555	70%
14	California College of the Arts	$44,012	$29,250	$53,909	61%
15	California State University-Bakersfield	$43,534	—	$5,652	50%
16	California State University-Long Beach	$43,349	$16,583	$10,440	69%
17	California State University-Northridge	$42,904	$15,000	$7,021	57%
18	San Francisco State University	$42,868	$18,511	$12,278	50%
19	California State University-Sacramento	$41,969	$15,879	$9,338	56%
20	California State University-Stanislaus	$41,072	$15,750	$6,067	53%
21	California State University-Los Angeles	$40,783	$19,087	$3,967	53%
22	University of California-Riverside	$40,774	$17,500	$14,304	76%
23	University of California-Davis	$40,453	$15,061	$14,741	86%
24	University of California-Santa Cruz	$40,156	$19,500	$17,890	75%
25	California State University-Fresno	$39,878	$14,937	$7,000	57%
26	University of California-Irvine	$39,010	$17,635	$14,251	87%
27	Otis College of Art and Design	$38,997	$30,875	$51,248	66%
28	San Diego State University	$35,416	$9,899	$15,364	76%
29	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	$34,812	$17,500	$13,171	49%
30	California State University-Monterey Bay	$34,006	$15,063	$13,663	59%
31	Art Center College of Design	$33,073	—	$48,661	79%
32	California State University-San Bernardino	$30,319	$18,750	$4,564	55%
33	California Institute of the Arts	$28,617	$27,000	$46,080	67%
34	Laguna College of Art and Design	$27,815	$27,625	$42,505	52%

31 more California colleges offer Studio Art but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Studio Art graduates

Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education

Los Angeles area$100,960

California$101,370

U.S.$72,040

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Art Directors

Los Angeles area$137,560

California$137,780

U.S.$114,850

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +4.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Museum Technicians and Conservators

Los Angeles area$60,510

California$61,550

U.S.$51,440

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +3.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at California Institute of the Arts, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About California Institute of the Arts

Acceptance rate: 32% · admissions
Graduation rate: 67% within 6 years
Median earnings, all majors, 10 years after starting: $41,198
Full cost breakdown · all 10 majors · overview

Related majors at California Institute of the Arts

Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
Music$40,294
Graphic Communications—
Theatre$41,192
Film and Photography$29,426

California Institute of the Arts Studio Art questions

How much do California Institute of the Arts Studio Art graduates earn?

Studio Art graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn a median $28,617 four years after graduating. The U.S. median for Studio Art graduates across 420 colleges is $41,590.

How much debt do California Institute of the Arts Studio Art graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Studio Art graduates of California Institute of the Arts is $27,000, about 94% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,361.

Where does California Institute of the Arts rank for Studio Art in California?

Of 34 California colleges reporting Studio Art graduate earnings, California Institute of the Arts ranks 33rd. The highest is University of Southern California at $72,428.

What jobs do Studio Art graduates get?

A common career is secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education, with a median wage of $100,960 in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area and $72,040 nationally. Others include art directors and museum technicians and conservators.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
Data: JSON · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “California Institute of the Arts Studio Art: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts/majors/studio-art (College Scorecard and BLS data).

California Institute of the Arts Studio Art: earnings, debt & careers