Visual and Performing Arts at Bowling Green State University-Main Campus

Bowling Green's Visual and Performing Arts program produces starting salaries that trail most competitors—nationally it ranks in just the 5th percentile, meaning 95% of similar programs launch graduates into better-paying careers. The $18,819 first-year median is particularly striking when Ohio's state median for these programs sits at $22,722. Even within Ohio's arts landscape, this program lands at the 25th percentile, lagging schools like University of Toledo where graduates earn $26,625.

The $27,000 debt load isn't excessive by national standards, but paired with these earnings, it creates real challenges. Graduates owe 1.4 times their first-year income, which means loan payments will consume a significant chunk of take-home pay during those lean early years. The 39% earnings bump by year four helps—reaching $26,082—but that still barely catches up to what typical arts grads earn nationally right out of school.

For families banking on this degree as a financial foundation, the numbers suggest looking elsewhere in Ohio first. If your child is committed to Bowling Green specifically, they need a clear plan for how they'll bridge that income gap early on—whether through side work, family support, or keeping debt well below that $27,000 median. Arts degrees rarely generate quick returns, but this program starts from an unusually low baseline even for the field.