MAJORS · 14 OF 115 SUBFIELDS BY ROI

Is an arts & entertainment management degree worth it?

Part of Visual Arts and Music — see the whole category’s numbers.

On average, no — the mean lifetime ROI is −$12,533, by FREOPP’s own published number. The honest details matter.

MEAN LIFETIME ROI · FREOPP 2021 · COHORT-WEIGHTED

−$12,533

across 51 bachelor’s programs · 5,325 graduates

MEDIAN GRADUATE

+$11K

MIDDLE 50% LAND BETWEEN

−$98K ⟷ +$91K

NEVER BREAK EVEN

45.1%

MEDIAN PROGRAM-ESTIMATED BREAK-EVEN AGE

48

Among programs that break even; weighted by graduate cohorts. These are program estimates, not tracked individual graduate outcomes.

ADJUSTED FOR REAL COMPLETION RATES

−$62K

IF YOU DROP OUT

−$135K

Questions

Is an arts & entertainment management degree worth it?
On average no — across 51 U.S. bachelor’s programs (FREOPP 2021, cohort-weighted), the mean lifetime ROI for Arts & Entertainment Management is −$12,533 and the median is +$11,320. 45.1% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. The honest answer depends heavily on the specific program and school: the middle half of graduates land between −$98,429 and +$91,341.
How long until an arts & entertainment management degree pays off?
For Arts & Entertainment Management, Among programs that break even, the median program-estimated break-even age, weighted by graduate cohorts, is 48. 45.1% of graduate cohort weight with reported break-even data is in programs flagged as never breaking even. FREOPP 2021.
Does the school matter for an arts & entertainment management major?
Enormously. The middle 50% of Arts & Entertainment Management graduates span −$98,429 to +$91,341 — a +$190K spread within one major. The same field can be a strong trade at one school and a losing one at another, which is why the per-school number matters more than the field average.

↓ Download the data (CSV) · All 115 subfields with full statistics. Free to cite with attribution. · Methodology

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Arts & Entertainment Management: lifetime ROI statistics.” Data: FREOPP 2021. https://le-teen.com/majors/arts-and-entertainment-management