Bachelor's · Northridge, California

Is Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at California State University-Northridge worth it?

Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.

The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans

Pays back slowly: graduates typically recover the cost in about 8.7 years.

Earnings 1 year after graduating: $27,569; Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Earnings 4 years after graduating: $46,445; Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
Typical federal debt at graduation: $18,500; NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
Net cost to graduate, all families: $27k (likely $27k – $37k); AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Earnings bump, year 4: $7k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in CA; 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
Payback: 8.7 years (likely 5.5–20+); Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
10-year net return: −$162k (likely −$231k – −$100k); Today's dollars
20-year net return: −$58k (likely −$194k – $82k); Today's dollars
Odds of finishing (school-wide): 57%; Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
Borrowers making progress / in default, 2 years in: not reported / ≤ 20%; NSLDS AY2016-17, AY2017-18 pooled cohorts measured in 2018-19, 2019-20

Change income, residency or loans Compare Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at other schools

🎨 Getting ready in high school

Students heading toward art, design & performance majors like this one often take these classes. Every school offers a different mix, so check with your counselor.

AP classes

AP 2-D Art and Design
AP Drawing
AP Art History
AP Music Theory

IB Higher Level

Visual Arts HL
Music HL or Theatre HL or Film HL

Build my roadmap 🗺️ Middle school to career, plus high schools near you that offer these classes.

Other majors at California State University-Northridge

Computer Science (Master's)$178,136
Manufacturing Engineering (Master's)$129,151
Engineering-Related Fields (Master's)$126,039
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's)$116,613
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's)$115,123
Taxation (Master's)$108,576
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's)$105,747
Civil Engineering (Master's)$104,388
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's)$104,065
Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's)$101,424
Computer Science (Bachelor's)$101,348
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's)$101,021

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at other schools in California

University of California-Davis$56,823
University of California-Berkeley$55,555
Chapman University$51,611
Pepperdine University$50,594
Loyola Marymount University$49,135
California State University-Sacramento$47,676
San Francisco State University$44,848
University of California-Santa Barbara$44,106
California State University-Fullerton$42,455
San Diego State University$41,812