Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at Florida Southern College

Florida Southern's theatre program posts first-year earnings of $22,336—higher than most peers in a famously low-paying field. That beats 60% of Florida programs and 63% nationally, placing it solidly above both the state median ($20,170) and national median ($20,698). For context, only a handful of Florida schools break $24,000, so this isn't a dramatic outlier, but it's a meaningful step up from typical outcomes.

The debt picture is actually the more impressive story here. At $27,000, graduates carry notably more than Florida's typical theatre major ($21,585), yet this still ranks in just the 5th percentile nationally for debt burden—meaning 95% of comparable programs nationwide saddle students with more. The 1.21 debt-to-earnings ratio means graduates owe roughly 14 months of their first-year salary, which is manageable by theatre standards where many programs produce much worse ratios.

The honest reality: theatre degrees rarely lead to high early earnings anywhere, and this program won't change that equation. However, if your child is committed to this path, Florida Southern delivers slightly better outcomes than most alternatives while keeping debt relatively contained. The small sample size (under 30 graduates) means these numbers could shift with a larger cohort, but the pattern suggests this program does what it can within the constraints of the field itself.