Western Carolina University Theatre (Bachelor's): Tuition, Graduate Salary, and Debt
- Bachelor's in Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
- Public university
- Cullowhee, NC
- About 30 graduates a year
College Scorecard June 2026 release · BLS wages May 2025
The short answer
Western Carolina University theatre graduates earn about what theatre graduates earn nationally, $21,824 in their first year. The typical graduate leaves with $26,000 in federal loans, close to the national median of $25,000. Two other 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 theatre bachelor's programs that report the figure.
Five years out, Western Carolina University graduates earn about the national figure and about $3,351 more than the North Carolina median.
Debt and first-year pay at every North Carolina theatre 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 61% 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 $276 a month, or 15.2% of a graduate's typical monthly pay in the first year.
21 parents took out Parent PLUS loans for these students, with a median of $16,811.
Where graduates work, and what the pay is worth
68% of graduates (23 of 34) were working in North Carolina one year after graduating. Prices in the parts of North Carolina outside metro areas are about 12% below the national average, so a $21,824 salary here buys what about $24,685 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
$63,700Median pay in North Carolina. 3,500 people work in this job in North Carolina. 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.
Writers and Authors
$63,660Median pay in North Carolina. 1,810 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 11,900 openings a year. Typical education to start: bachelor's degree.
About Western Carolina University
Theatre ranks 39th of 41 bachelor's programs at Western Carolina University by first-year earnings. The top three are Electrical Engineering ($69,067), Nursing ($68,774), and Electrical Engineering Technology ($67,003).
Common questions
The median graduate earns $21,824 one year after graduating and $35,165 five years after. The median across theatre bachelor's programs in North Carolina is $21,113.
The median federal loan balance is $26,000, which ranks 6th lowest of 9 theatre bachelor's programs in North Carolina. That works out to about $276 a month over 10 years.
It depends on your other options. Debt equals 119% of first-year earnings, against a national median of 115%. Compare the cost with other North Carolina programs before deciding.
Most do. 68% (23 of 34) 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 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