Independent · Federal data · Six creative fields
What creative degrees cost, and what graduates actually earn.
Other sites are paid by the schools they rank. We aren’t. We publish what a program costs, what its graduates earn four years later, and how often students finish at all — as the federal government reports it, with every figure linked to its source.
Median earnings · 4 yrs after completing
- Tech$80,281
- Marketing$66,349
- Design$48,893
- Game Design$48,144
- Film & Video$46,553
- Audio & Music$43,716
College Scorecard, Field of Study · retrieved 2026-09-03
Three federal datasets
IPEDS for cost and completion, the College Scorecard for post-completion earnings, BLS for occupational outlook.
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We take no placement fees from the institutions we cover. Our disclosure page states exactly how the site is funded.
We publish the bad numbers
When a program costs $80,000 and median earnings are $38,000, that is the headline figure, not a footnote.
Students in all six fields borrow similar amounts. What they earn afterwards differs by nearly two to one.
Median federal loan debt sits within a few thousand dollars across all six fields. Median earnings four years out span more than double.
| Field | Median debt at completion | Median earnings four years after completing |
|---|---|---|
| Tech | $22,780 | $80,281 |
| Marketing | $24,188 | $66,349 |
| Design | $25,048 | $48,893 |
| Game Design | $26,000 | $48,144 |
| Film & Video | $23,250 | $46,553 |
| Audio & Music | $25,496 | $43,716 |
Source: College Scorecard, Field of Study (retrieved September 2026)
Six creative fields
Cost, earnings, and completion data for each
Audio and Music Production
Recording, mixing, live sound, music production, and music technology.
Game Design
Game design, interactive media, and real-time simulation.
Film and Video
Cinematography, production, editing, and post.
Design and Digital Art
Graphic design, illustration, animation, and computer graphics.
Marketing and Business
Marketing, media business, and arts administration.
Tech and Development
Programming, web development, and software engineering.
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