Arts, Entertainment,and Media Management at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

The $18,675 first-year earnings here are startlingly low—we're talking roughly minimum wage territory for graduates with $25,000 in debt. Even among arts management programs (not known for high starting salaries), this ranks in the bottom 10% both nationally and within Massachusetts, where the typical program graduate earns $29,500. The small sample size means these numbers could shift with more data, but they're concerning enough that parents should proceed with serious caution.

The debt load itself isn't unusually high for this field, but paired with earnings barely above $18,000, graduates face a difficult financial reality. That's a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.34, meaning they owe more than an entire year's salary—a level that typically triggers financial strain. For context, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts serves a significant population of Pell-eligible students (40%), so this earnings outcome could be particularly consequential for families with limited financial cushion.

If your child is set on arts management, understand they may need additional credentials, connections, or geographic mobility to reach viable earnings levels. The gap between these outcomes and even the Massachusetts median suggests this particular program isn't positioning graduates competitively. Unless your family can afford minimal or no loans, this combination of high debt and bottom-decile earnings makes it a risky investment, even accounting for the small sample caveat.