How much debt do Baylor University theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $24,130, which ranks 7th lowest of 14 theatre bachelor's programs in Texas. That works out to about $256 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from Baylor University worth it?

It depends on your other options. Debt equals 119% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%. Compare the cost with other Texas programs before deciding.

Do Baylor University theatre graduates stay in Texas?

Most do. 62% (21 of 34) were working in Texas one year after graduating.

Baylor University Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Private nonprofit university
Waco, TX
About 30 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Baylor University theatre graduates earn about what theatre graduates earn nationally, $20,267 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $24,130 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Several Texas programs report higher pay.

First-year earnings$20,26742nd percentile of 257 programs nationally

Earnings after 5 years$36,48080% more than year one

Median federal debt$24,1307th lowest of 14 Texas programs

Debt-to-earnings119%Texas median 94%, national 115%

How it compares

Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Texas and national columns are the medians across all theatre bachelor's programs that report the figure.

	Baylor University	Texas	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$20,267	$25,050	$20,815
Earnings, 5 years after graduating	$36,480	$40,282	$34,512
Median federal debt at graduation	$24,130	$24,565	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	119%	94%	115%
Programs compared		15	257

Five years out, Baylor University graduates earn more than the national figure but about $3,802 less than the Texas median. Several Texas programs with higher debt show higher pay by the five-year mark.

Debt and first-year pay at every Texas theatre program

Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Texas medians.

Baylor UniversityOther Texas programs

Hover over or tap a dot to see the school. Only programs that report both earnings and debt are shown.

What graduates earn over time

Pay rises about 80% between the first and fifth year.

Baylor University grads, year 1$20,267

Baylor University grads, year 5$36,480

All Texas theatre grads, year 5$40,282

Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $256 a month, or 15.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

62% of graduates (21 of 34) were working in Texas one year after graduating. Prices in the Waco area are about 7% below the national average, so a $20,267 salary here buys what about $21,898 buys in a typical US city.

Careers this field leads to

These are the jobs that the federal crosswalk from fields of study to occupations links to theatre, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.

Producers and Directors

$71,710

Median pay in Texas. 6,610 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,100 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus less than 5 years of related work experience.

Bottom 10%: $40,610Top 10%: $146,340

Writers and Authors

$69,990

Median pay in Texas. 2,320 people work in this job in Texas. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.

Bottom 10%: $49,070Top 10%: $125,240

About Baylor University

Tuition and fees	$58,100 / year
Average net price after aid	$41,104 / year
Admission rate	51%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	80%
Undergraduate students	14,785

Theatre ranks 44th of 45 bachelor's programs at Baylor University by first-year earnings. The top three are Sales and Merchandising ($84,271), Computer Science ($82,714), and Electrical Engineering ($82,475).

Common questions

The median graduate earns $20,267 one year after graduating and $36,480 five years after. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in Texas is $25,050.

About this data

Earnings and debt only include students who received federal financial aid (grants or loans).
Earnings only count graduates who were working and not enrolled in more school. Graduates who went straight to further study are not included.
Debt only includes federal loans. Private loans and credit cards are not counted.
Some schools with several campuses report one combined figure for all of them. We count each of those schools once, and leave them out of Texas comparisons when their main campus is in another state.
Scorecard figures describe graduating classes from several years ago. BLS wages are from May 2025.
School-level numbers like tuition, admission rate, and graduation rate are for the whole school, not the theatre program.

Sources

U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, field of study and institution files, June 2026 release
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
NCES, CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk, and IPEDS institution directory, 2024

Theatre bachelor's programs in Texas, ranked15 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All Baylor University programs, ranked45 programs by pay and debt