Best colleges for Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft in California
Program-level earnings — not school prestige — rank these. Among the California programs in the federal field-of-study file, University of California-Davis leads: its Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates earn a median $56,823 four years after finishing, against the field's $39,775 national median. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026.)
| # | College | Grad earnings, 4 yrs | Vs field median |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of California-Davis | $56,823 | +$17,048 |
| 2 | University of California-Berkeley | $55,555 | +$15,780 |
| 3 | Chapman University | $51,611 | +$11,836 |
| 4 | Pepperdine University | $50,594 | +$10,819 |
How big is the earnings gap between California Drama/Theatre Arts programs?
$6,229 separates the top and bottom of this list — $56,823 at University of California-Davis against $50,594 at Pepperdine University, four years after finishing. Same field, same state, same federal measure: where you study moves pay by that much.
Do California Drama/Theatre Arts graduates earn more than the national median?
The state's strongest program pays $17,048 above the $39,775 national median for the field. Program-level medians come from federal tax records of graduates who received aid, so they track actual pay rather than advertised salaries.