Film/Video and Photographic Arts at Lesley University

Lesley's Film/Video and Photographic Arts program significantly outperforms the national field—landing in the 95th percentile with first-year earnings of $31,846 versus a national median of just $25,173. That's roughly $6,700 more annually than the typical film program graduate earns. The debt load of $26,974 is also slightly below national norms, creating a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.85 that's manageable compared to many arts programs. Within Massachusetts, however, Lesley sits mid-pack at the 60th percentile, trailing Tufts by a wide margin but running neck-and-neck with UMass-Dartmouth.

The modest 7% earnings growth from year one to year four suggests graduates find stable work quickly rather than experiencing dramatic career acceleration. For a field often criticized for poor economic outcomes, these are encouraging numbers—graduates appear to secure professional positions in the Boston area's media and education sectors rather than cobbling together freelance gigs.

The critical caveat: this data comes from fewer than 30 graduates, meaning a few outliers could skew the picture considerably. If your child is weighing this against other Massachusetts options, know that Lesley delivers better-than-average outcomes nationally while charging similar debt levels. It's a reasonable bet for a student committed to this field, but the small sample size means you're making that decision with less certainty than you'd have for larger programs.