Arts Therapy graduates earn $48,240 four years out. The middle 50% of earners fall between $31,627 and $64,853. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and how far you advance in the field.
This page covers Arts Therapy as a course of study: what it costs, where it is taught, and what graduates go on to earn. It sits inside the wider field of Visual & Performing Arts and how it pays overall, which is the better comparison if you are still choosing between subjects.
Arts Therapy is a focused area of study within Visual & Performing Arts. Pick this and you can expect to earn around $48,240 four years out, a modest return for a focused credential. You will not have trouble finding it: 346 colleges offer this program, from community colleges to research universities. About 4,722 students complete it each year, most walking away with a bachelor's. The focus is on writing, analysis, and communication that transfer across industries.
Median Earnings · 1yr
$28,357
Median Earnings · 4yr
$48,240
Colleges Offering
346
Graduates / Year
4,722
Avg Net Price / yr
$28,563
How Much Do Arts Therapy Graduates Earn?
Four years after finishing Arts Therapy, a typical graduate earns $48,240, below average for bachelor's degree holders. Half of earners land somewhere between $31,627 and $64,853, so where you end up depends on the job and the employer. Do not judge the field on a starting paycheck alone: pay tends to jump in the first few years, climbing from $28,357 at one year out to $48,240 by year four. Source: College Scorecard.
Starting salaries only. Earnings in this field grow substantially in the first 3 to 5 years.
$48,240
4-Year National Median
Below average for bachelor's degree holders.
$48,367
4-Year Institutional Median
Median of per-school medians. Each reporting college counts equally, regardless of size.
Earnings Range
Not every Arts Therapy graduate ends up in the same place. Earnings spread out a moderate amount, so know what pushes people to one end or the other. Career path divergence explains most of the range. Law, consulting, and tech-adjacent roles pull the top end up; writing, education, and nonprofit roles tend to sit near the bottom.
$31,62725th pct.
$48,240Median
$64,85375th pct.
Is the Cost Worth It?
At median 4-year earnings of $48,240 and an estimated $114,252 four-year net cost, earnings breakeven against a baseline wage takes approximately 6.3 years. Compare specific programs before committing to a high-cost option.
Based on outcomes from 239 schools.
Colleges with fewer than 30 graduates are excluded from national averages.
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 4,722 students who complete Arts Therapy programs each year, the majority (65%) earn a bachelor's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
65%26%
Bachelor's65%
Master's26%
Associate's5%
What Can You Do With an Arts Therapy Degree?
This degree does not lock you into one job. Arts Therapy graduates show up in 4 different occupations, and Producer & Director pays the most at $90,360/yr median. Expand any card below to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Active ListeningSpeakingCritical ThinkingReading ComprehensionJudgment and Decision Making
Day-to-day responsibilities
Produce or direct stage, television, radio, video, or film productions for entertainment, information, or instruction. Responsible for creative decisions, such as interpretation of script, choice of actors or guests, set design, sound, special effects, and choreography.
Plan details such as framing, composition, camera movement, sound, and actor movement for each shot or scene.
Communicate to actors the approach, characterization, and movement needed for each scene in such a way that rehearsals and takes are minimized.
Direct live broadcasts, films and recordings, or non-broadcast programming for public entertainment or education.
Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.
Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and papers.
Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
Active ListeningSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingCritical ThinkingReading Comprehension
Day-to-day responsibilities
Conduct, direct, plan, and lead instrumental or vocal performances by musical artists or groups, such as orchestras, bands, choirs, and glee clubs; or create original works of music.
Use gestures to shape the music being played, communicating desired tempo, phrasing, tone, color, pitch, volume, and other performance aspects.
Direct groups at rehearsals and live or recorded performances to achieve desired effects such as tonal and harmonic balance dynamics, rhythm, and tempo.
Study scores to learn the music in detail, and to develop interpretations.
Top Colleges for Arts Therapy
Not sure where to study Arts Therapy? These 20 colleges graduate the most students in it each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Ranked by Arts Therapy graduate volume. Scroll right to compare key stats.
Read our methodology →
Related Visual & Performing Arts Programs
Arts Therapy is not the only path through Visual & Performing Arts: 9 other specializations sit alongside it. The comparison below ranks them by 4-year median earnings so you can see where this one lands.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of an Arts Therapy program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
Arts Therapy carries financial trade-offs prospective students should weigh carefully. The 3 strengths and 4 concerns below are drawn from College Scorecard earnings, BLS job growth data, and IPEDS completion counts.
PROS
Strong salary growthMedian earnings climb from $28,357 at graduation to $48,240 four years later, a clear sign of career momentum in this field.
Fast-growing fieldRelated careers are projected to grow up to +9.7% over the next decade, with Agents & Business Managers among the fastest-growing roles.
Strong hiring volumeRelated occupations generate more than 26,700 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
CONS
Modest median earningsFour-year median of $48,240 lags STEM and business fields, affecting ROI at higher-cost programs.
Advanced degree often expectedTop roles in this field typically expect a master's degree or higher. A bachelor's may be a starting point rather than a terminal credential for the most competitive positions.
Long earnings breakevenAt median salary and average net price, recovering education costs versus a baseline wage takes roughly 6.3 years.
High earnings varianceGap between 25th ($31,627) and 75th ($64,853) percentile is wide. Where you land depends heavily on employer, role, and location.
Arts Therapy Degree: Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Arts Therapy graduates earn?
$48,240 four years after finishing the program. Half of graduates land between $31,627 and $64,853, so employer, role, and location move that number more than the degree itself. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the starting salary for an Arts Therapy degree?
$28,357 in the first year out. That grows to $48,240 by year four, so do not judge this field on the entry-level number alone. Most of the gain shows up once you clear the first few years and move past entry-level roles. Source: College Scorecard.
What jobs can you get with an Arts Therapy degree?
Producer & Director is one path, and it pays a median of $90,360 a year. It is not the only one: the Career Paths section below lists every occupation graduates actually go into, with wages and 10-year growth for each.
How long does an Arts Therapy program take?
Four years of full-time study for an Arts Therapy bachelor's degree, the standard timeline for this field. If you want a faster route into the workforce, community colleges offer a two-year associate option instead.
How many colleges offer Arts Therapy?
346 colleges and universities, so you are not short on options. That range runs from community colleges granting certificates and associate degrees to research universities with full doctoral tracks. Source: IPEDS.
Is an Arts Therapy degree worth it?
$48,240 median earnings four years out against $28,563 a year in average net price. That is a slow payback, so cost matters more than usual here: a cheaper school changes the answer. Use the Top Colleges section below to compare specific schools before deciding. Source: College Scorecard.
What is the difference between Arts Therapy and Visual & Performing Arts?
Arts Therapy is the narrower of the two: Visual & Performing Arts covers the full discipline, while this program limits the curriculum to Arts Therapy-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. Pick the specialization once you already know this is the direction you want; it gets you a more targeted credential, not a broader one.
What skills do employers look for in Arts Therapy graduates?
Coursework alone will not get you hired. Employers hiring Arts Therapy graduates consistently look for writing, critical analysis, and cross-cultural communication. Employers value the ability to synthesize complex information clearly, skills that transfer into communications, law, consulting, and content roles. Build those into your coursework and internships now, and the job search later gets easier.
What is the job outlook for Arts Therapy graduates?
Outlook is moderate overall: related occupations average +4.3% projected job growth over the next 10 years. Agents & Business Managers are among the strongest-growth roles at +9.7%. That average hides real differences by role and location, so check the Career Paths section below for the projection on each specific occupation before you count on any single number.
Related Visual & Performing Arts Programs
Other programs in Visual & Performing Arts. Compare earnings, credentials, and career paths before committing to a specialization.
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