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Musical Theater

Types of Degrees Musical Theater Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Musical Theater have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	9
Associate’s Degree	52
Bachelor’s Degree	1,077
Master’s Degree	19

What Musical Theater Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Musical Theater emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Fine Arts — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Musical Theater program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Originality — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Musical Theater graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	3.8 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	3.7 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.6 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Musical Theater professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Musical Theater graduates include:

• Dance Instructor
• Studio Instructor
• Band Teacher
• Choral Teacher
• Visual Arts Instructor
• Scene Design Lecturer
• Digital Arts Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Music Lecturer
• Drama Teacher
• Adjunct College Instructor
• Violin Teacher
• Arts Teacher
• Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
• Music Theory Professor

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	27.9%
Master’s degree	22.9%
Doctoral degree	13.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	12.7%
Less than a high school diploma	5.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	5.5%
Postsecondary certificate	5.3%
Some college courses	3.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.0%
First professional degree	0.8%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Musical Theater?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 70.2% of Musical Theater degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	812	70.2%
Men	345	29.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Musical Theater graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	732	63.3%
Asian	20	1.7%
Hispanic or Latino	156	13.5%
Black or African American	100	8.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.4%
Two or More Races	81	7.0%
Race Unknown	24	2.1%
International Students	37	3.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Musical Theater Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Musical Theater graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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.}

Online Musical Theater Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Musical Theater. 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
Bachelor’s	1	3

^{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 Musical Theater Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Musical Theater 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
Comedy Writing and Performance	50.0511
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
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
Ballet	50.0302

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.