Bachelor's · Boston, Massachusetts
Is Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at Berklee College of Music worth it?
Medium confidence Medium confidence: 40–99 graduates behind the earnings figures.
The verdict · all families, in-state, half paid with loans
Graduates typically don't earn back the cost within 20 years, compared with the no-degree baseline.
- Earnings 1 year after graduating
- $32,923
- Treasury AY2020-21, AY2021-22 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Earnings 4 years after graduating
- Not enough graduates to report
- Treasury AY2017-2018, AY2018-2019 pooled earnings cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Typical federal debt at graduation
- $23,750
- NSLDS pooled AY2022-23, AY2023-24 cohort
- Net cost to graduate, all families
- $202k (likely $202k – $253k)
- AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
- Earnings bump, year 4
- −$9k a year vs high-school graduates aged 25–34 in MA
- 2023 ACS 5-year pooled, adjusted to 2024 dollars
- Payback
- Not within 20 years in most scenarios
- Bump vs net cost plus loan interest
- 10-year net return
- −$530k (likely −$627k – −$482k)
- Today's dollars
- 20-year net return
- −$631k (likely −$741k – −$536k)
- Today's dollars
- Odds of finishing (school-wide)
- 73%
- Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26
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 Berklee College of Music
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management (Bachelor's)$59,703
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management (Master's)$57,202
- Music (Master's)$55,467
- Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Bachelor's)$48,072
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other (Bachelor's)$48,069
- Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's)$40,186
- Music (Bachelor's)$38,617
- Engineering/Engineering-Related Technologies/Technicians, Other (Master's)$35,746
- Dance (Bachelor's)$35,702
- Music (Undergraduate certificate)$34,014
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at other schools in Massachusetts
- Brandeis University$58,676
- Emerson College$44,760
- Suffolk University$43,553
- Boston University$39,322
- Dean College$36,724
- Northeastern University$36,309
- Northeastern University Professional Programs$36,309