Theater

Types of Degrees Theater Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many theater arts graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	8,624
Master’s Degree	927
Associate Degree	882
Undergraduate Certificate	295
Basic Certificate	103
Doctor’s Degree	70
Graduate Certificate	16

What Theater Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to theater were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Theater Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in theater should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• 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.
• Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.

Skills for Theater Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to theater:

• 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.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Time Management - Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Abilities for Theater Majors

As a theater major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• 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.

What Can You Do With a Theater Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with theater:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Actors	11.6%	NA
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Directors- Stage, Motion Pictures, Television, and Radio	12.2%	$71,680
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers	8.2%	NA
Producers	12.2%	$71,680
Program Directors	12.2%	$71,680

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater?

This major is dominated by women with about 67% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	272
Black or African American	853
Hispanic or Latino	1,403
White	5,184
International Students	236
Other Races/Ethnicities	676

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Theater. About 2.7% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Theater

Some degrees associated with theater 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.

Find out what the typical degree level is for theater careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Less than a High School Diploma	6.0%
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	8.8%
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)	4.1%
Some College Courses	3.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.8%
Bachelor’s Degree	36.5%
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.	0.3%
Master’s Degree	19.4%
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.	0.6%
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.	4.1%
Doctoral Degree	12.0%

Online Theater Programs

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)	6	0
Associate’s Degree	196	2
Bachelor’s Degree	9	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	139	1
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	34	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Theater

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

Major	Number of Grads
Acting	1,791
Musical Theater	1,247
Theater Design & Technology	1,139
Playwriting & Screenwriting	851
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft	465
Directing & Theatrical Production	220
Theatre and Dance	111
Comedy Writing and Performance	44
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism	37
Costume Design	31

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 Donald Judge under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.