Fine and Studio Arts: is this master's degree worth it?
National picture across 60 reporting college programs.
Personal baseline needed
$48,763 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$48,763Median year-4 earnings
$27,108Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Observed national outcomes
$48,763Median reported earnings · year 4
$47,709Average reported earnings · year 5
Not availableMedian federal debt
3thYear-4 earnings percentile at this credential
60Reporting programs
60With year-4 earnings
The same field can produce a different equation.
Keep the federal field fixed and compare observed outcomes at every reportable credential level. These are separate graduate cohorts—not a promise that more schooling causes the difference.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $41,627
- Federal debt
- $11,594
- Reporting programs
- 6
Associate's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $34,728
- Federal debt
- $10,250
- Reporting programs
- 38
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $41,265
- Federal debt
- $25,500
- Reporting programs
- 465
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,763
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 60
Non-Credential Program (Preparatory Coursework/Teacher Certification)
- Year-4 earnings
- $48,466
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Reporting programs
- 7
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$43,436National median$48,76375th percentile$53,802
60 programs report year‑4 earnings.DECISION CHECK
What to compare before choosing a program
The national result is only the starting point. Price, debt and the college-level earnings spread can materially change the payoff.
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of North Carolina Wilmington$99,6982Lesley University$73,4923Sotheby's Institute of Art-NY$70,3474Rutgers University-New Brunswick$66,0865California State University, Fullerton$65,7596Azusa Pacific University$64,5527Bard College$63,4918New York University$61,3599University of Nebraska at Kearney$59,87310Ohio State University-Main Campus$58,535Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Related occupations
Official CIP–SOC links add career context without claiming that every graduate enters the same job.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, PostsecondarySOC 25-1121 · 13 crosswalk linksCraft ArtistsSOC 27-1012 · 9 crosswalk linksFine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and IllustratorsSOC 27-1013 · 9 crosswalk linksSpecial Effects Artists and AnimatorsSOC 27-1014 · 3 crosswalk linksArtists and Related Workers, All OtherSOC 27-1019 · 2 crosswalk linksJewelers and Precious Stone and Metal WorkersSOC 51-9071 · 2 crosswalk linksAppraisers of Personal and Business PropertySOC 13-2022 · 1 crosswalk linksArchivistsSOC 25-4011 · 1 crosswalk linksArt DirectorsSOC 27-1011 · 1 crosswalk linksCuratorsSOC 25-4012 · 1 crosswalk linksMuseum Technicians and ConservatorsSOC 25-4013 · 1 crosswalk linksPhotographersSOC 27-4021 · 1 crosswalk links
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.
Same degree, different outcomes
Compare reported outcomes using the same federal field and credential. Automated ROI is withheld when an exact program price or personal earnings baseline is required.
| # | College | Location | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | ROI status | Cost context |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of North Carolina WilmingtonMaster's Degree | Wilmington, NC | $99,698 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,109 |
| 2 | Lesley UniversityMaster's Degree | Cambridge, MA | $73,492 | Not available | Baseline needed | $31,152 |
| 3 | Sotheby's Institute of Art-NYMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $70,347 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 4 | Rutgers University-New BrunswickMaster's Degree | New Brunswick, NJ | $66,086 | Not available | Baseline needed | $24,406 |
| 5 | California State University, FullertonMaster's Degree | Fullerton, CA | $65,759 | Not available | Baseline needed | $6,555 |
| 6 | Azusa Pacific UniversityMaster's Degree | Azusa, CA | $64,552 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,212 |
| 7 | Bard CollegeMaster's Degree | Annandale-On-Hudson, NY | $63,491 | Not available | Baseline needed | $34,649 |
| 8 | New York UniversityMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $61,359 | Not available | Baseline needed | $37,050 |
| 9 | University of Nebraska at KearneyMaster's Degree | Kearney, NE | $59,873 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,242 |
| 10 | Ohio State University-Main CampusMaster's Degree | Columbus, OH | $58,535 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,339 |
| 11 | Eastern Illinois UniversityMaster's Degree | Charleston, IL | $58,301 | Not available | Baseline needed | $12,786 |
| 12 | California College of the ArtsMaster's Degree | San Francisco, CA | $57,717 | Not available | Baseline needed | $53,909 |
| 13 | American UniversityMaster's Degree | Washington, DC | $55,550 | Not available | Baseline needed | $41,943 |
| 14 | Tufts UniversityMaster's Degree | Medford, MA | $54,491 | Not available | Baseline needed | $39,998 |
| 15 | Pratt Institute-MainMaster's Degree | Brooklyn, NY | $54,345 | Not available | Baseline needed | $52,659 |
| 16 | University of North TexasMaster's Degree | Denton, TX | $53,802 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,649 |
| 17 | Northern Illinois UniversityMaster's Degree | Dekalb, IL | $53,301 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,391 |
| 18 | Arizona State University Campus ImmersionMaster's Degree | Tempe, AZ | $53,265 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,967 |
| 19 | Southern New Hampshire UniversityMaster's Degree | Manchester, NH | $53,264 | Not available | Baseline needed | $36,708 |
| 20 | University of HoustonMaster's Degree | Houston, TX | $53,255 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,276 |
| 21 | Syracuse UniversityMaster's Degree | Syracuse, NY | $52,797 | Not available | Baseline needed | $38,793 |
| 22 | University of DelawareMaster's Degree | Newark, DE | $52,059 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,799 |
| 23 | University of North Carolina at Chapel HillMaster's Degree | Chapel Hill, NC | $51,978 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,655 |
| 24 | Maryland Institute College of ArtMaster's Degree | Baltimore, MD | $51,820 | Not available | Baseline needed | $42,729 |
| 25 | University at AlbanyMaster's Degree | Albany, NY | $51,514 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,167 |
| 26 | The New SchoolMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $51,394 | Not available | Baseline needed | $58,741 |
| 27 | University of IowaMaster's Degree | Iowa City, IA | $51,368 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,531 |
| 28 | University of HartfordMaster's Degree | West Hartford, CT | $50,963 | Not available | Baseline needed | $30,282 |
| 29 | Virginia Commonwealth UniversityMaster's Degree | Richmond, VA | $49,077 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,433 |
| 30 | Maine College of Art & DesignMaster's Degree | Portland, ME | $49,053 | Not available | Baseline needed | $38,338 |
| 31 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical CollegeMaster's Degree | Baton Rouge, LA | $48,472 | Not available | Baseline needed | $19,151 |
| 32 | CUNY Hunter CollegeMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $48,258 | Not available | Baseline needed | $2,984 |
| 33 | Rhode Island School of DesignMaster's Degree | Providence, RI | $48,215 | Not available | Baseline needed | $50,507 |
| 34 | University of OregonMaster's Degree | Eugene, OR | $47,580 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,182 |
| 35 | School of the Art Institute of ChicagoMaster's Degree | Chicago, IL | $47,355 | Not available | Baseline needed | $49,790 |
| 36 | Academy of Art UniversityMaster's Degree | San Francisco, CA | $46,730 | Not available | Baseline needed | $40,613 |
| 37 | School of Visual ArtsMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $46,609 | Not available | Baseline needed | $57,914 |
| 38 | University of Massachusetts-AmherstMaster's Degree | Amherst, MA | $46,477 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,383 |
| 39 | Norwich UniversityMaster's Degree | Northfield, VT | $46,153 | Not available | Baseline needed | $22,257 |
| 40 | Ohio University-Main CampusMaster's Degree | Athens, OH | $45,956 | Not available | Baseline needed | $21,637 |
| 41 | Temple UniversityMaster's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $45,465 | Not available | Baseline needed | $28,198 |
| 42 | Florida State UniversityMaster's Degree | Tallahassee, FL | $44,914 | Not available | Baseline needed | $11,297 |
| 43 | University of California, DavisMaster's Degree | Davis, CA | $44,735 | Not available | Baseline needed | $14,741 |
| 44 | Yale UniversityMaster's Degree | New Haven, CT | $44,265 | Not available | Baseline needed | $23,777 |
| 45 | University of South FloridaMaster's Degree | Tampa, FL | $43,971 | Not available | Baseline needed | $9,812 |
| 46 | University of Wisconsin-MadisonMaster's Degree | Madison, WI | $43,436 | Not available | Baseline needed | $17,354 |
| 47 | Indiana University-BloomingtonMaster's Degree | Bloomington, IN | $43,361 | Not available | Baseline needed | $16,264 |
| 48 | University of KansasMaster's Degree | Lawrence, KS | $42,421 | Not available | Baseline needed | $18,059 |
| 49 | Cranbrook Academy of ArtMaster's Degree | Bloomfield Hills, MI | $42,189 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 50 | Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine ArtsMaster's Degree | Philadelphia, PA | $41,621 | Not available | Baseline needed | $42,454 |
| 51 | University of GeorgiaMaster's Degree | Athens, GA | $40,471 | Not available | Baseline needed | $13,936 |
| 52 | University of Colorado BoulderMaster's Degree | Boulder, CO | $40,376 | Not available | Baseline needed | $25,346 |
| 53 | Savannah College of Art and DesignMaster's Degree | Savannah, GA | $40,129 | Not available | Baseline needed | $49,430 |
| 54 | Georgia State UniversityMaster's Degree | Atlanta, GA | $39,752 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,931 |
| 55 | California State University, Long BeachMaster's Degree | Long Beach, CA | $38,452 | Not available | Baseline needed | $10,440 |
| 56 | University of New Mexico-Main CampusMaster's Degree | Albuquerque, NM | $38,052 | Not available | Baseline needed | $15,489 |
| 57 | University at BuffaloMaster's Degree | Buffalo, NY | $37,918 | Not available | Baseline needed | $20,995 |
| 58 | New York Academy of ArtMaster's Degree | New York, NY | $37,417 | Not available | Baseline needed | Not available |
| 59 | Art Center College of DesignMaster's Degree | Pasadena, CA | $30,188 | Not available | Baseline needed | $48,661 |
| 60 | California Institute of the ArtsMaster's Degree | Valencia, CA | $24,720 | Not available | Baseline needed | $46,080 |
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.