Fine and Studio Arts Master’s degree
18 programs — 7 with federal cost data, the rest suppressed for small class sizes and listed after them, ordered by median debt against median earnings — lowest first.
Data last updated
Field
Delivery
Hide for-profit collegesWhat our data shows about for-profit collegesAcross the creative fields on this site, students at private for-profit institutions borrow 27% more than students at public ones ($29,332 against $23,033) and earn 15% less four years after completing ($38,361 against $45,110).The combined effect is severe. Median debt at a for-profit equals 70% of a graduate’s annual earnings, against 47% at a public institution. And 10% of for-profit programs leave graduates owing more than they earn in a year — against 1% of public ones. Ten times the rate.This is a pattern across 212 for-profit programs, not a handful of outliers, and it holds in every creative field we cover. It does not mean no for-profit program is worth taking: some appear high in our best-value rankings, and this filter hides those too. It means the odds are materially worse, and the burden of proof sits with the school.Figures are medians computed from the College Scorecard and IPEDS data behind every table on this site.
| Institution | Programcredential and delivery | at completion | 4 yrs after | Median federal loan debt at completion, divided by median earnings four years later. It answers a single question: how much of one year’s income do you owe on the day you finish?Below 50% is generally considered manageable. Above 100% means graduates owe more than they earn in a year, and repayment on a standard ten-year plan starts to consume a serious share of income.Debt covers federal loans only, so real ratios are often worse. Both figures are medians — half of graduates fall on the wrong side of each. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California College of the ArtsCA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaPaintingJewelry ArtsCeramic Arts and CeramicsSculptureArt History, Criticism and ConservationPrintmakingFiber, Textile and Weaving ArtsFine Arts and Art Studies, OtherThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $51,870 | $57,717 | 90% |
| Maryland Institute College of ArtMD · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Intermedia/MultimediaMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:PaintingFiber, Textile and Weaving ArtsSculpturePrintmakingCeramic Arts and CeramicsFine Arts and Art Studies, OtherArt/Art Studies, GeneralArt History, Criticism and ConservationDrawingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $98,610 | $51,820 | 190% |
| California Institute of the ArtsCA · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | — | $24,720 | — |
| Massachusetts College of Art and DesignMA · PublicRequest information → | PaintingMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralIntermedia/MultimediaJewelry ArtsSculpturePrintmakingArt History, Criticism and ConservationFiber, Textile and Weaving ArtsCeramic Arts and CeramicsThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $41,000 | — | — |
| Pacific Northwest College of ArtOR · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Fine Arts and Art Studies, OtherMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:PrintmakingIntermedia/MultimediaFine/Studio Arts, GeneralSculpturePaintingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | $90,387 | — | — |
| University of Colorado BoulderCO · PublicRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art History, Criticism and ConservationIntermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | — | $40,376 | — |
| University of OregonOR · PublicRequest information → | Intermedia/MultimediaMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art/Art Studies, GeneralArt History, Criticism and ConservationFine/Studio Arts, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | — | $47,580 | — |
| Columbia College ChicagoIL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaArt History, Criticism and ConservationFine Arts and Art Studies, OtherThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main CampusPA · PublicRequest information → | Intermedia/MultimediaMaster’s degree · Fully onlineWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art/Art Studies, GeneralFine/Studio Arts, GeneralThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Jacksonville UniversityFL · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Art/Art Studies, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| State University of New York at OswegoNY · PublicRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art/Art Studies, GeneralIntermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Texas A & M University-College StationTX · PublicRequest information → | Intermedia/MultimediaMaster’s degree · On campus | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Cincinnati-Main CampusOH · PublicRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art History, Criticism and ConservationIntermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignIL · PublicRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art History, Criticism and ConservationIntermedia/MultimediaPaintingThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of MaineME · PublicRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaFine Arts and Art Studies, OtherArt History, Criticism and ConservationThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of South AlabamaAL · PublicRequest information → | Art/Art Studies, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Intermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| University of Wisconsin-MilwaukeeWI · PublicRequest information → | Art/Art Studies, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art History, Criticism and ConservationFine Arts and Art Studies, OtherIntermedia/MultimediaThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
| Washington University in St LouisMO · Private nonprofitRequest information → | Fine/Studio Arts, GeneralMaster’s degree · On campusWhat this figure actually coversThe federal government reports debt and earnings for a whole program family rather than one degree. At this institution that family also includes:Art History, Criticism and ConservationPaintingIntermedia/MultimediaSculptureThe figures on this row describe all of them together. We cannot separate them, and we do not estimate. | Not reported | Not reported | — |
Source: College Scorecard, Field of Study (retrieved September 2026)
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One thing these figures cannot tell you
Earnings and debt are reported by the federal government at a four-digit program level, so a figure shown against “Fine and Studio Arts” covers every related program at that institution rather than one named degree. Full methodology.