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Drama & Dance Education

Types of Degrees Drama & Dance Education Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Drama & Dance Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	159
Master’s Degree	120
Doctor’s Degree	4

What Drama & Dance Education Majors Need to Know

Programs in Drama & Dance Education emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Drama & Dance Education graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Drama & Dance Education emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Drama & Dance Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Drama & Dance Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Drama & Dance Education graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.4 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Drama & Dance Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Learning management system LMS	Computer based training software	✓
Image scanning software	Optical character reader OCR or scanning software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Drama & Dance Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• College Professor
• Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Lecturer
• Art Instructor
• Band Teacher
• Orchestra Teacher
• Art Educator
• Music Educator
• Choral Teacher
• Singing Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Drama & Dance Education graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	43.1%
Bachelor’s degree	28.7%
Master’s degree	18.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	5.5%
Less than a high school diploma	1.8%
Post-master’s certificate	1.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.0%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Drama & Dance Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 79.9% of Drama & Dance Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	226	79.9%
Men	57	20.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Drama & Dance Education graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	206	72.8%
Asian	4	1.4%
Hispanic or Latino	27	9.5%
Black or African American	14	4.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.7%
Two or More Races	14	4.9%
Race Unknown	6	2.1%
International Students	10	3.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Drama & Dance Education Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Drama & Dance Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Drama & Dance Education Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Drama & Dance Education. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	4	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Drama & Dance Education Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Drama & Dance Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	13.13
Agricultural Teacher Education	13.1301
Art Teacher Education	13.1302
Biology Teacher Education	13.1322
Business and Innovation/Entrepreneurship Teacher Education	13.1303
Chemistry Teacher Education	13.1323
Communication Arts and Literature Teacher Education	13.1339
Computer Teacher Education	13.1321
Driver and Safety Teacher Education	13.1304
Earth Science Teacher Education	13.1337
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	13.1305
Environmental Education	13.1338

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.