Top Ranked Programs
University of North Carolina School of the Arts is anchored in visual and performing arts — a distinctive program portfolio shaped by its specialized mission as a public arts conservatory. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft is the largest program with 86 graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $48,664, followed by Film/Video and Photographic Arts with 74 graduates earning $41,000, Dance with 38 graduates earning $32,463, and Music with 23 graduates earning $34,022. Across 0 ranked programs serving roughly 221 students annually, the institution concentrates in Visual & Performing Arts. The strongest earnings outcomes cluster in specialized performance and design fields. Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft graduates earn median 4-year earnings of $48,664 with 86 graduates, while Film/Video and Photographic Arts delivers $41,000 with 74 graduates. Music and Dance round out the higher-earning programs with median 4-year earnings of $34,022 and $32,463 respectively. These outcomes reflect the institution's focus on fields where graduates enter creative industries, performance venues, and design-intensive sectors with direct labor-market pathways. University of North Carolina School of the Arts's program signature — concentrated in Arts at 100% of degrees — positions the institution as a specialized conservatory within the public higher-education landscape. Graduates in performance, design, and production-oriented fields typically enter high-mobility creative careers where early earnings reflect entry into established industry networks and venue-based employment. The [supply and demand for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how arts and design fields align with national labor-market demand and career trajectory patterns in creative industries.