California Institute of the Arts Theatre: earnings, debt & careers

Theatre graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn a median $41,192 four years after graduating ($22,673 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $27,000. That is $1,107 above the U.S. median for Theatre graduates ($40,085 across 251 colleges), and ranks 13th of 23 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$41,192

U.S. median for this major: $40,085.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$22,673

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$27,000

About 66% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $25,000.

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.

Theatre at California colleges

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

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1University of California-Davis$56,823$13,000$14,74186%
2University of California-Berkeley$55,555$15,112$13,48193%
3Chapman University$51,611$22,500$46,55582%
4Pepperdine University$50,594$19,500$58,09883%
5Loyola Marymount University$49,135$23,250$48,38179%
6California State University-Sacramento$47,676$16,221$9,33856%
7San Francisco State University$44,848$16,250$12,27850%
8University of California-Santa Barbara$44,106$16,852$16,10983%
9California State University-Northridge$43,240$17,863$7,02157%
10California State University-Fullerton$42,455$17,500$6,55570%
11San Diego State University$41,812$15,000$15,36476%
12University of California-San Diego$41,389$14,650$12,47086%
13California Institute of the Arts$41,192$27,000$46,08067%
14University of California-Irvine$40,773$17,862$14,25187%
15California Baptist University$40,432—$26,28562%
16University of Southern California$40,415$12,000$32,74092%
17California State University-San Bernardino$40,118—$4,56455%
18University of California-Los Angeles$39,023$16,970$12,54893%
19California State University-Long Beach$38,270$15,000$10,44069%
20California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo$36,697—$16,66586%
21California State University-Los Angeles$35,097$11,000$3,96753%
22California State University-Fresno$34,320$12,456$7,00057%
23University of California-Santa Cruz$30,524$19,500$17,89075%

34 more California colleges offer Theatre but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Theatre graduates

Producers and Directors

Los Angeles area$131,600
California$129,790
U.S.$90,360

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +4.0% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Writers and Authors

Los Angeles area$77,250
California$86,480
U.S.$76,910

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs -0.3% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Fashion Designers

U.S.$80,960

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +0.1% 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

Related majors at California Institute of the Arts

California Institute of the Arts Theatre questions

How much do California Institute of the Arts Theatre graduates earn?

Theatre graduates of California Institute of the Arts earn a median $41,192 four years after graduating and $22,673 one year after. The U.S. median for Theatre graduates across 251 colleges is $40,085.

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

The median federal loan debt for Theatre graduates of California Institute of the Arts is $27,000, about 66% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $25,000.

Where does California Institute of the Arts rank for Theatre in California?

Of 23 California colleges reporting Theatre graduate earnings, California Institute of the Arts ranks 13th. The highest is University of California-Davis at $56,823.

What jobs do Theatre graduates get?

A common career is producers and directors, with a median wage of $131,600 in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area and $90,360 nationally. Others include writers and authors and fashion designers.

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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
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Cite this: “California Institute of the Arts Theatre: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-institute-of-the-arts/majors/theatre (College Scorecard and BLS data).