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 BREAK-EVEN AGE
48
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 graduates in this field never break even on the degree. 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?
- Among Arts & Entertainment Management programs that do break even, the median graduate crosses into positive ROI at age 48 (FREOPP 2021). 45.1% of graduates in the field are in programs that never break even at all.
- 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