Theater & Drama at Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA · Public · Bachelor's Degree · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

DegreeOutlook Score (Base Case) — assumes in-state tuition

Optimistic

Base Case

Pessimistic

Earnings $24,674/yr (17% vs median)

AI Risk Moderate (37% exposed)

Job Market Large (78,700 openings/yr)

ROI 12.1x earnings multiple (4.2x out-of-state)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Theater & Drama graduates.

	Optimistic No Disruption	Base Case Gradual AI	Pessimistic Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings	$441K	$445K	$421K
Earnings Multiple (In-State)	12.0x	12.1x	11.5x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State)	4.1x	4.2x	3.9x
Probability of Field Employment	36%	33%	27%
DegreeOutlook Score	25	24	19

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)

$36,768

Out-of-state: $107,084 (4.2x ROI)

4-Year Net Price (After Aid)

$58,860

-60% less than sticker · See by income

Median Debt at Graduation

$24,500

11.9 months of Year 1 earnings

Reported Earnings (5 Year)

$32,946

34% growth from Year 1

Central Washington University accepts 90% of applicants — an open-access institution by design, enrolling 8,081 students in Ellensburg, WA.

Producers and directors $83,480/yr

Fashion designers $80,690/yr

Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary $80,190/yr

Trade programs often mean less time in school, lower student debt, and hands-on career paths that tend to be more resilient to AI disruption.

How does Central Washington University's Theater & Drama program score?

This program scores 24/100 — on the lower end for Theater & Drama. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →