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Playwriting & Screenwriting

Types of Degrees Playwriting & Screenwriting Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Playwriting & Screenwriting have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	63
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	474
Master’s Degree	324

What Playwriting & Screenwriting Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Playwriting & Screenwriting build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Playwriting & Screenwriting 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 5.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 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 emphasized by a Playwriting & Screenwriting 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 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Playwriting & Screenwriting careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.8 / 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, Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.7 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 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	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7
Working with Computers	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Playwriting & Screenwriting professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Adobe Photoshop	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
QuarkXPress	Desktop publishing software	—
PHP	Web platform development 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 Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates include:

• Singing Teacher
• Voice Teacher
• Drama Professor
• Voice Professor
• Art History Professor
• Dance Professor
• Art Educator
• Digital Arts Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Woodshop Instructor
• Piano Professor
• Art Professor
• Performing Arts Instructor
• College Professor
• Lighting Design Lecturer

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.3%
Doctoral degree	23.8%
Bachelor’s degree	20.2%
Some college courses	7.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Less than a high school diploma	1.7%
Post-master’s certificate	1.2%
First professional degree	1.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.5%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 53.2% women and 46.8% men among Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	459	53.2%
Men	404	46.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Playwriting & Screenwriting graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	453	52.5%
Asian	47	5.4%
Hispanic or Latino	118	13.7%
Black or African American	113	13.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	4	0.5%
Two or More Races	41	4.8%
Race Unknown	37	4.3%
International Students	50	5.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Playwriting & Screenwriting Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Playwriting & Screenwriting 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.}

Online Playwriting & Screenwriting Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Playwriting & Screenwriting. 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	3	0
Master’s	6	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 Playwriting & Screenwriting Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Playwriting & Screenwriting 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
Musical Theatre	50.0509
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.