We've pulled together some essential information you should know about the program, including how many students graduate each year, the ethnic diversity of these students, average starting salaries, and more. We've also included details on how USC ranks compared to other colleges offering a major in theater.
Go directly to any of the following sections:
Ranked at #2 in College Factual's most recent rankings, USC is in the top 1% of the country for theater students pursuing a bachelor's degree. It is also ranked #1 in California.
During the 2020-2021 academic year, University of Southern California handed out 145 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts. Last year, the same number of degrees were handed out.
In 2021, 30 students received their master’s degree in theater from USC. This makes it the #9 most popular school for theater master’s degree candidates in the country.
Theater majors who earn their bachelor's degree from USC go on to jobs where they make a median salary of $24,981 a year. This is higher than $21,886, which is the national median for all theater bachelor's degree recipients.
Theater majors graduating with a master's degree from USC make a median salary of $34,673 a year. This is a better than average outcome since the median salary for all theater graduates with a master's is $29,429.
While getting their bachelor's degree at USC, theater students borrow a median amount of $12,000 in student loans. This is not too bad considering that the median debt load of all theater bachelor's degree recipients across the country is $25,000.
The typical student loan payment of a bachelor's degree student from the theater program at USC is $423 per month.
Take a look at the following statistics related to the make-up of the theater majors at University of Southern California.
Of the 145 theater students who graduated with a bachelor's degree in 2020-2021 from USC, about 44% were men and 56% were women.
The majority of bachelor's degree recipients in this major at USC are white. In the most recent graduating class for which data is available, 54% of students fell into this category.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from University of Southern California with a bachelor's in theater.
Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
---|---|
Asian | 8 |
Black or African American | 10 |
Hispanic or Latino | 34 |
White | 79 |
Non-Resident Aliens | 4 |
Other Races | 10 |
Of the 30 students who graduated with a Master’s in theater from USC in 2021, 47% were men and 53% were women.
The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from University of Southern California with a master's in theater.
Ethnic Background | Number of Students |
---|---|
Asian | 2 |
Black or African American | 7 |
Hispanic or Latino | 1 |
White | 14 |
Non-Resident Aliens | 4 |
Other Races | 2 |
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 310 |
Music | 182 |
Arts & Media Management | 111 |
Fine & Studio Arts | 82 |
Design & Applied Arts | 67 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.