Michigan State Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Fine and Studio Arts
- Public university
- East Lansing, MI
- About 25 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Michigan State fine and studio arts graduates earn less than graduates of most fine and studio arts programs nationally, $19,566 in their first year. Debt is high. The typical graduate leaves with $30,875 in federal loans, more than at 94% of fine and studio arts programs in the country. Several Michigan programs report higher pay.
How it compares
Each figure is the median for graduates of the program. The Michigan and national columns are the medians across all fine and studio arts bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Michigan State graduates earn more than the national figure and about $3,460 more than the Michigan median.
Debt and first-year pay at every Michigan fine and studio arts program
Programs in the upper left give graduates higher pay for less debt. Dashed lines mark the Michigan 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 120% between the first and fifth year.
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 $327 a month, or 20.1% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
59% of graduates (19 of 32) were working in Michigan one year after graduating. Prices in the Lansing area are about 5% below the national average, so a $19,566 salary here buys what about $20,598 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
$66,030Median pay in Michigan. 25,540 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$64,270Median pay in Michigan. 1,960 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$86,660Median pay in Michigan. 1,080 people work in this job in Michigan. 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
$44,660Median pay nationwide. 970 people work in this job in Michigan. 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 Michigan State
Fine and Studio Arts ranks 78th of 79 bachelor's programs at Michigan State by first-year earnings. The top three are Computer and Information Science ($86,192), Computer Engineering ($83,934), and Electrical Engineering ($83,874).
Other fine and studio arts bachelor's programs near East Lansing
Common questions
The median graduate earns $19,566 one year after graduating and $43,016 five years after. The median across fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Michigan is $23,786.
The median federal loan balance is $30,875, which ranks 7th lowest of 9 fine and studio arts bachelor's programs in Michigan. That works out to about $327 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 158% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 97%. Compare the cost with other Michigan programs before deciding.
Most do. 59% (19 of 32) were working in Michigan 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 Michigan 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