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Highest Paying Arts Majors

Top 50 Arts college majors by estimated median 5-year earnings

# College Major Degrees Accept Earnings Earn % Earn z ROI Employ Debt-to-Earn Male White Asian Black Hispanic Intl SAT p25 SAT p50 SAT p75 Submit %
1 Carnegie Mellon Design 35 11% $131,756 100 +5.58 99 95% — 29% 20% 31% 0% 9% 20% 1500 1530 1560 84%
2 California College of the Arts Interaction Design 23 91% $127,872 100 +4.88 99 100% — 26% 0% 17% 0% 9% 70% — — — —
3 Wellesley Media Arts and Sciences 29 15% $126,694 100 +4.80 98 100% — 0% 7% 31% 14% 28% 17% 1460 1500 1540 62%
4 Georgia Tech Industrial Design 12 13% $126,065 100 +5.13 99 95% — 92% 75% 0% 17% 8% 0% 1370 1460 1530 100%
5 Stanford Product Design 27 4% $119,791 99 +4.64 97 — — 52% 26% 30% 7% 19% 7% 1520 1550 1570 77%
6 Savannah College of Art and Design Human Computer Interaction 48 83% $114,142 100 +3.95 98 100% — 46% 33% 17% 4% 8% 38% 1030 1150 1270 28%
7 U. of Pennsylvania Design 22 5% $110,099 99 +3.89 94 — — 32% 27% 27% 18% 9% 5% 1500 1530 1560 70%
8 Brigham Young Housing and Interior Design 14 68% $104,936 100 +4.22 98 100% — 79% 64% 7% 0% 7% 7% 1290 1360 1430 54%
9 MIT Urban Science and Planning with Computer Science (Course 11-6) 17 5% $103,037 100 +4.01 91 94% — 35% 24% 41% 0% 29% 6% 1520 1550 1570 100%
10 Lawrence Technological Interior Design 20 81% $102,566 100 +3.95 94 96% — 5% 80% 5% 5% 0% 5% 1030 1140 1250 45%
11 Lawrence Technological Industrial Design 11 81% $102,566 99 +3.30 94 96% — 55% 91% 0% 9% 0% 0% 1030 1140 1250 45%
12 U. of Miami Music Engineering Technology 10 18% $97,490 100 +5.45 88 95% — 50% 60% 10% 10% 0% 10% 1350 1400 1450 51%
13 Art Center College of Design Transportation Design 44 76% $95,085 99 +2.72 89 93% — 91% 11% 23% 0% 5% 59% — — — —
14 Fordham New Media and Digital Design 110 59% $94,989 99 +2.66 86 91% — 20% 50% 13% 7% 17% 6% 1320 1400 1480 24%
15 U. of Massachusetts - Amherst Architecture 118 60% $94,874 100 +3.07 92 100% — 73% 61% 5% 6% 13% 3% 1330 1410 1480 28%
16 U. of Texas at Austin Interior Design 17 27% $92,285 100 +2.77 89 94% — 0% 35% 6% 12% 47% 0% 1320 1450 1530 74%
17 U. of Texas at Austin Design 50 27% $92,285 99 +2.51 89 94% — 26% 24% 34% 8% 28% 2% 1320 1450 1530 74%
18 U. of Notre Dame Design and Visual Communications 20 9% $91,150 98 +2.42 79 97% — 25% 40% 5% 10% 25% 5% 1460 1500 1540 67%
19 U. of Notre Dame Architecture 38 9% $90,541 99 +2.57 78 97% — 21% 53% 11% 3% 13% 8% 1460 1500 1540 67%
20 Ringling College of Art and Design Computer Animation 132 67% $90,480 99 +2.35 84 91% — 24% 34% 17% 2% 12% 27% — — — —
21 U. of Oklahoma - Norman Architectural and Building Sciences/Technology 18 78% $89,526 99 +2.46 90 — — 67% 50% 17% 0% 22% 6% 1160 1240 1310 65%
22 Cornell Apparel and Textiles 26 8% $88,823 100 +2.69 77 100% — 15% 31% 12% 8% 23% 15% 1490 1520 1550 56%
23 Rochester Institute of Technology New Media Design 47 67% $87,271 99 +2.14 80 100% — 34% 60% 13% 9% 6% 2% 1310 1380 1440 49%
24 Texas A&M - Corpus Christi Graphic Design 14 92% $87,186 98 +2.11 91 — — 21% 21% 7% 7% 43% 14% 980 1090 1190 57%
25 U. of Southern California Design 29 11% $87,096 98 +2.10 76 91% — 21% 10% 45% 3% 17% 21% 1470 1510 1540 45%
26 Vanderbilt Studio Art 11 5% $87,024 100 +4.31 74 95% — 36% 9% 27% 27% 9% 9% 1510 1540 1560 52%
27 U. of Oklahoma - Norman Architecture 16 78% $86,926 98 +2.16 88 94% — 56% 44% 0% 0% 6% 25% 1160 1240 1310 65%
28 U. of Texas at Austin Urban Studies/Affairs 33 27% $86,557 98 +2.12 85 — — 55% 52% 9% 6% 30% 3% 1320 1450 1530 74%
29 U. of Arkansas Landscape Architecture 15 74% $86,524 98 +2.11 87 — — 53% 80% 0% 0% 13% 0% 1020 1120 1210 100%
30 North Carolina State Architecture 34 40% $85,790 98 +2.03 87 100% — 38% 59% 9% 6% 9% 0% 1310 1380 1440 40%
31 Mississippi State Architecture 45 84% $85,786 98 +2.03 87 100% — 56% 69% 7% 13% 4% 0% 1000 1120 1230 88%
32 Yale Architecture 19 3% $85,350 98 +1.98 72 94% — 21% 37% 11% 11% 32% 0% 1480 1520 1560 92%
33 U. of Arkansas Architecture 78 74% $85,100 97 +1.95 86 98% — 53% 65% 4% 3% 17% 1% 1020 1120 1210 100%
34 The New School Strategic Design and Management 227 63% $84,485 96 +2.54 78 84% — 15% 25% 15% 3% 10% 41% — — — —
35 Yale Urban Studies 11 3% $84,303 97 +1.86 71 — — 27% 45% 18% 0% 27% 0% 1480 1520 1560 92%
36 U. of Dayton Music Therapy 10 60% $83,970 100 +4.00 80 98% — 0% 80% 0% 10% 10% 0% 1200 1290 1380 36%
37 Baylor Fashion Merchandising 26 52% $83,562 99 +2.17 71 97% — 0% 73% 0% 4% 15% 0% 1190 1280 1370 69%
38 U. of Delaware Fashion Design 22 71% $83,043 99 +2.12 83 94% — 5% 77% 9% 0% 14% 0% 1190 1280 1370 22%
39 U. of Delaware Design and Visual Communications 19 71% $83,043 98 +1.79 83 94% — 16% 68% 11% 11% 0% 5% 1190 1280 1370 22%
40 Cleveland State Music Therapy 10 88% $82,770 100 +3.87 89 94% — 10% 90% 0% 0% 0% 0% — — — —
41 MIT Architecture (Course 4) 10 5% $82,635 96 +1.67 73 94% — 30% 0% 20% 20% 30% 30% 1520 1550 1570 100%
42 U. of Texas at Austin Architectural Studies 58 27% $82,599 96 +1.66 81 96% — 31% 36% 26% 0% 26% 5% 1320 1450 1530 74%
43 Lehigh Architecture 30 29% $82,438 96 +1.65 68 — — 30% 77% 10% 0% 7% 0% 1380 1430 1480 43%
44 Virginia Tech Architecture 131 64% $82,288 96 +1.63 85 96% — 41% 53% 11% 7% 11% 9% 1270 1360 1440 50%
45 Miami University - Ohio Graphic and Experience Design 18 74% $82,021 97 +1.71 80 96% — 6% 83% 0% 0% 17% 0% 1220 1310 1390 32%
46 Virginia Tech Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management 81 64% $81,923 99 +2.01 84 93% — 40% 64% 5% 12% 6% 0% 1270 1360 1440 50%
47 Art Center College of Design Entertainment Design 116 76% $81,906 97 +1.70 78 100% — 32% 9% 27% 2% 9% 52% — — — —
48 Washington University in St Louis Communication Design 54 12% $81,836 100 +3.75 63 97% — 15% 37% 28% 9% 13% 11% 1500 1530 1550 61%
49 Washington University in St Louis Fashion Design 12 12% $81,836 98 +2.00 63 97% — 8% 33% 33% 8% 8% 8% 1500 1530 1550 61%
50 Miami University - Ohio Interactive Media and Design 91 74% $81,704 97 +1.76 80 96% — 43% 86% 2% 4% 0% 5% 1220 1310 1390 32%