East Carolina University Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
- Public university
- Greenville, NC
- About 83 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
East Carolina University fine and studio arts graduates earn less than graduates of most fine and studio arts programs nationally, $21,271 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $27,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,402. Several North Carolina programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The North Carolina and national columns are the medians across all fine and studio arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, East Carolina University graduates earn about the national figure and about $6,050 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina fine and studio arts program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the North Carolina medians.
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 95% between the first and fifth year.
Year 1 and year 5 figures come from different graduating classes, so the growth rate is an estimate.
Does family income change the outcome?
Graduates who received Pell Grants, which go to students from lower-income families, earned $8,510 less in their first year than other graduates. Students who expect to rely on grants should weigh this gap.
Paying back the loans
On a standard 10-year plan, the median debt means a payment of about $286 a month, or 16.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
The government publishes these as ranges to protect privacy. They were measured in 2018 to 2020, partly during the pandemic pause on federal loan payments, so the forbearance share may be higher than usual. Separately, 21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $12,527.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
80% of graduates (64 of 80) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the Greenville area are about 12% below the national average, so a $21,271 salary here buys what about $24,062 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 fine and studio arts, largest first. Pay is the median across all experience levels.
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
$57,650Median pay in North Carolina. 28,620 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to stay about the same in number from 2025 to 2035, with about 63,500 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Property Appraisers and Assessors
$66,700Median pay in North Carolina. 2,210 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 5,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
Art Directors
$90,000Median pay in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035, with about 12,200 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree, plus 5 years or more of related work experience.
Photographers
$37,120Median pay in North Carolina. 2,130 people work in this job in North Carolina. Nationally, jobs are projected to shrink 1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 10,700 openings a year. Typical education to start: high school diploma or equivalent.
About East Carolina University
Fine and Studio Arts ranks 44th of 45 bachelor's programs at East Carolina University by first-year earnings. The top three are Nursing ($72,051), Other Engineering Technology ($72,022), and Computer and Information Science ($69,442).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $21,271 one year after graduating and $41,407 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $22,050.
The median federal loan balance is $27,000, which ranks 7th lowest of 12 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $286 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 127% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%. Compare the cost with other North Carolina programs before deciding.
Most do. 80% (64 of 80) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating.
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 North Carolina 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 fine and studio arts 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