Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management: is it worth it?
A 0–100 score blending this major’s national earnings, ROI and typical debt. How it’s scored.
National picture across 58 college programs, at a typical net price.
On these figures the cost and debt outweigh the earnings premium.
What Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management pays
Career outlook for Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management graduates
The job market for the occupations Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management graduates typically enter, projected through 2034 — from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is the demand side, complementing the IRS-verified graduate earnings above.
Top jobs for this major
| Occupation | U.S. jobs | Growth to 2034 | Median pay | Typical entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Managers, all other | 1,333,700 | +4.5% | $136,550 | Bachelor's degree |
| Producers and directors | 167,000 | +4.9% | $83,480 | Bachelor's degree |
| Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary | 122,800 | +1.7% | $80,190 | Master's degree |
| Music directors and composers | 47,300 | -0.3% | $63,670 | Bachelor's degree |
| Agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes | 21,400 | +8.7% | $96,310 | Bachelor's degree |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections (2024–34) & the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupation pay is the national median wage for the role — not the same as graduate earnings, which we draw from IRS records.
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management vs similar majors
How Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management stacks up against the closest fields in Visual & Performing Arts on pay, debt, ROI and the DR Rating. The best figure in each row is highlighted.
| Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management Visual & Performing Arts · this major | Design and Applied Arts | Visual and Performing Arts, Other | Film/Video and Photographic Arts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DR Rating | 20 F | 24 F | 17 F | 15 F |
| ROI verdict | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return | Poor return |
| Median earnings (5 yr) | $49,346 | $48,751 | $46,078 | $41,788 |
| Median earnings (1 yr) | $33,236 | $33,324 | $28,029 | $25,156 |
| ROI vs cost | -48% | -54% | -87% | -138% |
| Typical debt | $33,258 | $24,245 | $35,747 | $33,608 |
| Colleges offering it | 58 | 416 | 10 | 169 |
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management earnings over time
National median earnings one year after graduating, by cohort year — the consistent measure available across the federal data’s history.
Best colleges for Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management
Ranked by the ROI of this major at each college — its graduate earnings against the cost.
| # | College | Credential | Earnings (5 yr) | Median debt | 10-yr ROI | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Professional | $145,157 | — | +665% | Strong return |
| 2 | University of Georgia Athens, GA | Certificate | $53,759 | $19,000 | +320% | Strong return |
| 3 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL | Certificate | $58,051 | — | +189% | Strong return |
| 4 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | Associate's | $56,082 | $21,908 | +174% | Strong return |
| 5 | The New School New York, NY | Associate's | $78,350 | $24,500 | +164% | Strong return |
| 6 | The New School New York, NY | Certificate | $96,194 | — | +118% | Strong return |
| 7 | Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA | Certificate | $77,544 | $70,864 | +112% | Strong return |
| 8 | Boston University Boston, MA | Certificate | $63,608 | — | +91% | Strong return |
| 9 | University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA | Certificate | $53,240 | — | +66% | Break-even |
| 10 | Wagner College Staten Island, NY | Associate's | $55,875 | $27,000 | +64% | Break-even |
| 11 | University of New Haven West Haven, CT | Associate's | $57,174 | $27,000 | +56% | Break-even |
| 12 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA | Certificate | $58,219 | $42,750 | +52% | Break-even |
| 13 | Indiana University-Bloomington Bloomington, IN | Certificate | $54,367 | — | +44% | Break-even |
| 14 | Pratt Institute-Main Brooklyn, NY | Certificate | $79,752 | $124,203 | +36% | Break-even |
| 15 | Berklee College of Music Boston, MA | Associate's | $54,487 | $25,543 | -12% | Poor return |
| 16 | University of Oregon Eugene, OR | Certificate | $52,759 | — | -13% | Poor return |
| 17 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | Certificate | $59,147 | $36,850 | -16% | Poor return |
| 18 | Belmont University Nashville, TN | Associate's | $50,279 | $20,500 | -28% | Poor return |
| 19 | Drexel University Philadelphia, PA | Associate's | $50,618 | $24,808 | -35% | Poor return |
| 20 | American University Washington, DC | Certificate | $56,279 | $59,904 | -41% | Poor return |
| 21 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ | Associate's | $47,870 | — | -42% | Poor return |
| 22 | Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA | Certificate | $54,180 | $48,856 | -57% | Poor return |
| 23 | Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL | Associate's | $45,491 | — | -72% | Poor return |
| 24 | College of Charleston Charleston, SC | Associate's | $46,169 | $21,500 | -75% | Poor return |
| 25 | Appalachian State University Boone, NC | Associate's | $46,033 | $23,487 | -76% | Poor return |
Related majors
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard. ROI is computed by Degree Return — see how. Read the methodology. Data as of 2024.