Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at New York Film Academy

With fewer than 30 graduates tracked, these numbers jump around a lot, but they still tell a concerning story. That first-year earning of $6,814 places this program dead last among California's drama programs—10th percentile statewide and 5th percentile nationally. While earnings more than triple by year four to reach $22,665, that's still barely above poverty wages and doesn't justify the $15,000 in debt most graduates carry.

The four-year earnings do eventually surpass California's median for theater programs ($12,445), but compare this trajectory to Theatre of Arts down the road, where graduates earn $18,746 right out of the gate. You're essentially financing your child to work part-time retail wages for years while servicing student debt—and that's assuming they're among the graduates who stick with it long enough to see those year-four numbers.

The tiny sample size means a few successful graduates could be skewing the data upward, making this look better than the typical outcome. For an associate's degree in theater, your child would be better off taking classes at a community college, graduating debt-free, and using those savings to support themselves during the inevitable lean early years in entertainment.