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General Dance

Types of Degrees General Dance Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Dance can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	56
Associate’s Degree	178
Bachelor’s Degree	2,561
Master’s Degree	268
Doctor’s Degree	6

What General Dance Majors Need to Know

Coursework for General Dance develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Dance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Dance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 6.3 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.4 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Dance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to General Dance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Dance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.3 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Getting Information	3.9 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Performing for or Working Directly with the Public	3.7 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Dance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
MySQL	Data base management system software	—
Adobe After Effects	Video creation and editing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Dance graduates include:

• Dance Instructor
• Art Professor
• Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
• Dramatic Art Teacher
• Music Theory Teacher
• Music Lecturer
• Music Professor
• Guitar Teacher
• Graphic Design Professor
• Media Arts Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Ceramics Teacher
• Dancing Teacher
• Lighting Design Lecturer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	33.3%
Doctoral degree	20.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	13.9%
Bachelor’s degree	12.8%
Less than a high school diploma	7.3%
Postsecondary certificate	6.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.9%
Some college courses	2.1%
Post-master’s certificate	1.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.4%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Dance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 89.9% of General Dance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,766	89.9%
Men	310	10.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,695	55.1%
Asian	126	4.1%
Hispanic or Latino	506	16.4%
Black or African American	347	11.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	6	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	202	6.6%
Race Unknown	51	1.7%
International Students	140	4.6%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Dance Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Dance graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$23,231
4 years	$30,807
5 years	$34,462

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $34,462 — roughly 48% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online General Dance Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for General Dance. 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	2	2

^{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 General Dance Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Dance graduates earn a median of $30,807 four years after completion — about 19% below the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000). On earnings alone, this program does not show an income premium over the baseline; non-financial outcomes (career interests, certification requirements, advancement potential) are typically the stronger argument for fields in this range.

^{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
Dance	50.03
Ballet	50.0302
Dance, Other	50.0399
Musical Theatre	50.0509
Theatre and Dance	50.0512
Acting	50.0506
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	50.0703
Art/Art Studies, General	50.0701
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General	50.1001
Brass Instruments	50.0914
Ceramic Arts and Ceramics	50.0711

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.