How much debt do Cal State Dominguez Hills theatre graduates have?

The median federal loan balance is $13,164, which ranks 5th lowest of 23 theatre bachelor's programs in California. That works out to about $140 a month over 10 years.

Is a theatre degree from Cal State Dominguez Hills worth it?

On the numbers, yes for most students. Debt equals 51% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%.

Cal State Dominguez Hills Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt

Q: Do Cal State Dominguez Hills theatre graduates stay in California?

Most do. 95% (21 of 22) were working in California one year after graduating.

Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Public university
Carson, CA
About 22 graduates a year

College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025

The short answer

Cal State Dominguez Hills theatre graduates earn more than graduates of most theatre programs nationally, $25,920 in their first year. Where this program stands out is debt. The typical graduate leaves with $13,164 in federal loans, less than at 97% of theatre programs in the country. It is one of the higher-paying theatre degrees in California.

First-year earnings$25,92087th percentile of 257 programs nationally

Median federal debt$13,1645th lowest of 23 California programs

Debt-to-earnings51%California median 81%, national 115%

How it compares

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

	Cal State Dominguez Hills	California	National
Earnings, 1 year after graduating	$25,920	$20,538	$20,815
Median federal debt at graduation	$13,164	$17,235	$25,000
Debt as share of first-year pay	51%	81%	115%
Programs compared		23	257

Debt and first-year pay at every California theatre program

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

Cal State Dominguez HillsOther California programs

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

Paying back the loans

On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $140 a month, or 6.5% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.

Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth

95% of graduates (21 of 22) were working in California one year after graduating. Prices in the Los Angeles area are about 14% above the national average, so a $25,920 salary here buys what about $22,824 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

$129,790

Median pay in California. 34,110 people work in this job in California. 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%: $63,570Top 10%: $306,850

Writers and Authors

$86,480

Median pay in California. 8,390 people work in this job in California. 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%: $56,730Top 10%: $193,080

About Cal State Dominguez Hills

In-state tuition and fees	$7,449 / year
Out-of-state tuition and fees	$20,049 / year
Average net price after aid	$8,615 / year
Admission rate	93%
Graduation rate (within 6 years)	43%
Undergraduate students	12,538

Theatre ranks 23rd of 25 bachelor's programs at Cal State Dominguez Hills by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($110,626), Other Business ($61,114), and Computer and Information Science ($49,916).

Other theatre bachelor's programs near Carson

School	Distance	Year 1 pay	Debt
Cal State Dominguez HillsCarson, CA · public		$25,920	$13,164
Cal State Long BeachLong Beach, CA · public	10 mi	$19,231	$15,000
USCLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	11 mi	$21,473	$12,000
Loyola Marymount UniversityLos Angeles, CA · private nonprofit	12 mi	$21,869	$23,250
Cal State LALos Angeles, CA · public	15 mi	$16,645	$11,000
UCLALos Angeles, CA · public	18 mi	$19,673	$16,970
New York Film AcademyBurbank, CA · private for-profit	20 mi	$18,181	$27,000
Cal State FullertonFullerton, CA · public	21 mi	$18,182	$17,500
Chapman UniversityOrange, CA · private nonprofit	24 mi	$24,644	$22,500

Common questions

The median graduate earns $25,920 one year after graduating. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in California is $20,538.

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 California 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 California, ranked23 programs by pay and debt Theatre bachelor's programs in the US, ranked257 programs by pay and debt All Cal State Dominguez Hills programs, ranked25 programs by pay and debt