Theater Design

Types of Degrees Theater Design Majors Are Getting

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

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	662
Basic Certificate	211
Master’s Degree	142
Associate Degree	111
Graduate Certificate	7
Undergraduate Certificate	6

What Theater Design Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to theater design and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Theater Design Majors

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

• Fine Arts - Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• 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.
• 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.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.

Skills for Theater Design Majors

A major in theater design prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• 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.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.

Abilities for Theater Design Majors

Theater Design majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• 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.
• 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.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Theater Design Major?

People with a theater design degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Art, Drama, and Music Professors	12.0%	$69,960
Set and Exhibit Designers	10.3%	$54,270

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Design?

The major attracts more women than men. About 70% of the recent graduates in this field are female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	29
Black or African American	29
Hispanic or Latino	80
White	465
International Students	15
Other Races/Ethnicities	44

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Theater Design. About 2.3% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Theater Design

Some degrees associated with theater design 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.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to theater design have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Some College Courses	1.4%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.4%
Bachelor’s Degree	22.2%
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.	3.3%
Master’s Degree	43.4%
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.	1.1%
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.	4.2%
Doctoral Degree	23.2%

Online Theater Design 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)	26	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	2	0
Associate’s Degree	58	0
Bachelor’s Degree	3	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	19	0
Post-Master’s	2	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Theater Design

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

Major	Number of Grads
Theater Arts	10,917
Acting	1,791
Musical Theater	1,247
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.