Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at DePaul University

DePaul's theatre program starts graduates at $22,000—hardly thrilling—but watch what happens next: earnings jump 46% to reach $32,000 by year four, one of the stronger growth trajectories you'll see in performing arts. The debt load of $26,348 is manageable relative to these eventual earnings, creating a debt-to-income ratio that works out to just over one year's starting salary. Among Illinois theatre programs, DePaul lands squarely in the middle at the 60th percentile, trailing Illinois State and SIU-Carbondale but keeping pace with most competitors.

The critical question is whether your student can weather those lean early years. First-year earnings barely crack $20,000, which means living on a tight budget in Chicago or moving to a cheaper market. But unlike many theatre programs where graduates hit a ceiling fast, DePaul alumni show consistent income gains—suggesting they're finding pathways beyond waiting tables between auditions. The 74% admission rate means this isn't an impossibly selective program, yet graduates outperform the national median.

For a parent, this works if your child understands the commitment: they're choosing passion over immediate payoff, but at least they're getting real earning momentum and reasonable debt. If they need financial stability quickly, reconsider. If they can handle a few lean years while building a career, DePaul's trajectory beats most theatre programs.