Dance

Types of Degrees Dance Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many dance graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	2,676
Master’s Degree	245
Associate Degree	216
Basic Certificate	90
Undergraduate Certificate	49
Doctor’s Degree	8
Graduate Certificate	4

What Dance Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to dance and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Dance Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Dance Majors

dance majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Dance Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a dance student include the following:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Originality - The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

What Can You Do With a Dance Major?

People with a dance degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Choreographers	2.9%	$47,800
Dancers	4.4%	NA

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 2,676 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in dance in 2021, making it rank #115 in popularity. The major attracts more women than men. About 90% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dance majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	101
Black or African American	308
Hispanic or Latino	357
White	1,604
International Students	51
Other Races/Ethnicities	255

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Dance, too. About 1.9% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

• Canada
• China
• South Korea
• Japan
• Mexico

How Much Do Dance Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

According to 2019-2020 data from the U.S. Department of Education, students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in dance have a median salary of $21,579 during the early years of their career. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $18,899 (25th percentile) and $24,165 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to dance.

Salaries According to BLS

Dance majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $53,560 to $82,560 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Dance

Some degrees associated with dance may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to dance have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	7.9%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	13.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.7%
Some College Courses	7.2%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	0.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	14.9%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	0.4%
Master’s Degree	31.2%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	2.1%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	1.2%
Doctoral Degree	18.0%

Online Dance Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 361 schools offered some type of dance program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	12	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	3	0
Associate’s Degree	83	0
Bachelor’s Degree	4	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	57	0
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	4	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in Dance Worth It?

The median salary for a dance grad is $53,560 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 34% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $273,200 after 20 years!

Majors Related to Dance

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dance.

Major	Number of Grads
Fine & Studio Arts	37,413
Design & Applied Arts	36,301
Music	25,910
Drama & Theater Arts	17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts	16,778
General Visual & Performing Arts	6,355
Arts & Media Management	4,788
Other Visual Art	912
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry	119
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art	10

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Jazzart Dance Theatre under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.