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comedy writing and performance

Types of Degrees comedy writing and performance Majors Are Earning

Those studying comedy writing and performance may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	35

What comedy writing and performance Majors Need to Know

Programs in comedy writing and performance emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that comedy writing and performance graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in comedy writing and performance emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Fine Arts — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.6 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a comedy writing and performance program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to comedy writing and performance careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, comedy writing and performance graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.9 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.8 / 7
Working with Computers	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by comedy writing and performance professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Apple Final Cut Pro	Video creation and editing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
PHP	Web platform development software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for comedy writing and performance graduates include:

• Instructor
• Elementary Art Instructor
• Visual Arts Instructor
• Fine Arts Teacher
• Open Rank Professor
• Art Professor
• Voice Professor
• Graphic Design Professor
• Music Theory Professor
• Ceramics Teacher
• Piano Performance Professor
• Piano Pedagogy Professor
• Fine Arts Professor
• Arts Teacher
• Art Instructor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to comedy writing and performance graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	37.8%
Doctoral degree	23.0%
Bachelor’s degree	20.2%
Some college courses	7.5%
Less than a high school diploma	3.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.2%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.7%
First professional degree	1.6%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in comedy writing and performance?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 65.7% of comedy writing and performance degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	12	34.3%
Men	23	65.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of comedy writing and performance graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	29	82.9%
Hispanic or Latino	4	11.4%
Black or African American	1	2.9%
Race Unknown	1	2.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do comedy writing and performance Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of comedy writing and performance 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	$21,253
4 years	$29,200
5 years	$33,047

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $33,047 — roughly 55% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in comedy writing and performance Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, comedy writing and performance graduates earn a median of $29,200 four years after completion — about 23% 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
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft	50.05
Acting	50.0506
Costume Design	50.0510
Directing and Theatrical Production	50.0507
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General	50.0501
Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other	50.0599
Musical Theatre	50.0509
Playwriting and Screenwriting	50.0504
Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology	50.0502
Theatre and Dance	50.0512
Theatre Literature, History and Criticism	50.0505
Art History, Criticism and Conservation	50.0703

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.