Theater & Drama at University of California-San Diego

La Jolla, CA · Public · Bachelor's Degree · Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

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

Optimistic

Base Case

Pessimistic

Earnings $18,026/yr (-15% vs median)

AI Risk Moderate (37% exposed)

Job Market Large (78,700 openings/yr)

ROI 8.1x earnings multiple (2.7x 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	$498K	$497K	$464K
Earnings Multiple (In-State)	8.2x	8.1x	7.6x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State)	2.7x	2.7x	2.5x
Probability of Field Employment	36%	33%	27%
DegreeOutlook Score	21	20	17

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

4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)

$61,060

Out-of-state: $184,168 (2.7x ROI)

4-Year Net Price (After Aid)

$47,000

23% less than sticker · See by income

Median Debt at Graduation

$14,458

9.6 months of Year 1 earnings

Reported Earnings (5 Year)

$39,424

119% growth from Year 1

University of California-San Diego admits 25% of applicants, placing it among selective institutions, with 33,787 students enrolled in La Jolla, CA.

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 University of California-San Diego's Theater & Drama program score?

This program scores 20/100 — 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 →