Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft at University of Alabama at Birmingham

UAB's theatre program graduates earn nearly $27,000 in their first year—29% more than the national median for theatre majors and 32% above Alabama's typical earnings for this degree. Among Alabama's 15 theatre programs, this ranks in the 80th percentile, substantially outperforming larger programs at Alabama ($19,543) and Auburn ($20,899). For a field where many graduates struggle to crack $21,000, these numbers are genuinely notable.

The debt picture is entirely manageable: $25,250 puts graduates just under a 1:1 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning they owe roughly what they'll earn in their first year. That's reasonable for any bachelor's degree, and particularly good for theatre, where many programs saddle students with similar debt but far lower earnings. The combination suggests UAB has either strong local employer connections or graduates who successfully translate their theatre training into stable entry-level work.

The major caveat is sample size—fewer than 30 graduates means one person's unusually high or low earnings could skew the whole picture. That said, the pattern here (significantly above-average earnings with typical debt) is the opposite of what you'd expect from statistical noise in a struggling program. If your child is committed to theatre and staying in Alabama makes financial sense, UAB appears to offer better-than-average preparation for actually earning a living in or adjacent to the arts.