Performing Arts
What you'll do in college
Theater and dance majors spend much of their time in studios, rehearsal rooms, and on stage. Theater students take acting, voice, movement, directing, design, and dramatic literature; dance students train daily in technique alongside choreography and dance history.
Most programs require collaborative projects—putting on a show or choreographing a piece—each semester. Reviews and critiques are constant, and the workload is physical as well as intellectual.
What you'll do after college
Grads work as actors, dancers, directors, choreographers, stage managers, designers, technicians, agents, casting directors, and teachers. The career path is famously unpredictable—you'll likely take side jobs while building a body of work, and "making it" requires luck as well as talent.
New York and Los Angeles are the traditional centers, but regional theaters and dance companies across the country provide steady work. Many grads pursue MFAs in acting, directing, or dance. The major rewards persistence and a thick skin.
Famous graduates
- Meryl Streep — Academy Award-winning actress; B.A. in Drama from Vassar College
- Viola Davis — EGOT-winning actress; B.A. in Theater from Rhode Island College
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
By SAT median
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | 5yr Earn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performing Arts | 827 | 13,964 | 29% / 71% | 3% | $36,473 |
| Theatre | 268 | 3,563 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $36,094 |
| Theater | 300 | 2,960 | 33% / 67% | 2% | $35,209 |
| Dance | 240 | 2,371 | 9% / 91% | 3% | $34,563 |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 110 | 1,509 | 34% / 66% | 5% | $41,350 |
| Acting | 83 | 988 | 38% / 62% | 8% | $35,478 |
| Theatre Arts | 65 | 620 | 30% / 70% | 3% | $35,424 |
| Theatre Design and Technology | 38 | 200 | 34% / 66% | 2% | $35,168 |
| Drama | 10 | 184 | 29% / 71% | 8% | $38,000 |
| Screenwriting | 8 | 182 | 47% / 53% | 2% | $33,100 |
| Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology | 21 | 176 | 27% / 73% | 2% | $34,731 |
| Playwriting and Screenwriting | 16 | 170 | 45% / 55% | 2% | $38,997 |
| Theatre and Dance | 9 | 152 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $40,912 |
| Performance Studies | 2 | 102 | 35% / 65% | 3% | $48,100 |
| Directing and Theatrical Production | 24 | 63 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $35,322 |
| Performing Arts | 3 | 60 | 55% / 45% | 2% | $33,807 |
| Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies | 2 | 45 | 36% / 64% | 2% | $42,762 |
| Ballet | 4 | 42 | 17% / 83% | 0% | $33,331 |
| Theatre and Drama | 2 | 42 | 48% / 52% | 2% | $39,816 |
| Drama and Dance Teacher Education | 17 | 41 | 24% / 76% | 0% | $57,986 |
| Drama and Dance Education | 7 | 41 | 20% / 80% | 2% | $56,662 |
| Comedy Writing and Performance | 2 | 35 | 66% / 34% | 0% | $35,269 |
| Theatre Production | 2 | 32 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $31,824 |
| Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 6 | 31 | 23% / 77% | 6% | $33,521 |
| Theater and Dance | 2 | 24 | 33% / 67% | 8% | $46,834 |
| Theater Arts | 1 | 24 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $33,014 |
| Theatre and Dance Education | 4 | 20 | 15% / 85% | 0% | $55,252 |
| Theater, Dance, and Media | 1 | 20 | 20% / 80% | 15% | |
| Theatre Design | 4 | 18 | 22% / 78% | 0% | $43,705 |
| Theater Design | 1 | 18 | 44% / 56% | 22% | $30,165 |
| Theatre Design and Production | 4 | 17 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $32,025 |
| Dramatic Art | 1 | 16 | 31% / 69% | 6% | |
| Theatre Education | 2 | 15 | 40% / 60% | 0% | $55,776 |
| Documentary Production | 4 | 14 | 29% / 71% | 0% | $42,350 |
| Stage Management | 1 | 14 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $38,186 |
| Theater and Performance Studies | 3 | 13 | 8% / 92% | 0% | |
| Visual and Dramatic Arts | 1 | 13 | 8% / 92% | 15% | |
| Theatre/Theatre Arts Management | 2 | 11 | 27% / 73% | 9% | $34,085 |
| Contemporary Dance | 1 | 11 | 0% / 100% | 18% | $33,331 |
| Theatre Performance | 1 | 11 | 45% / 55% | 0% | $46,974 |
| Theatre Management | 11 | 10 | 40% / 60% | 0% | |
| Drama Education | 4 | 10 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $53,019 |
| Performing Arts and Social Justice | 1 | 9 | 11% / 89% | 11% | |
| Performing & Media Arts | 1 | 7 | 43% / 57% | 0% | |
| Directing | 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $41,243 |
| Theater Studies | 1 | 6 | 0% / 100% | 0% | |
| Theatre Arts and Performance Studies | 1 | 6 | 17% / 83% | 33% | $22,695 |
| Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology | 1 | 6 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Theatre Design, Production, and Technology | 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 40% | $33,468 |
| Theatre Literature, History and Criticism | 1 | 5 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $36,451 |
| Drama and Theatre Arts | 59 | 4 | 50% / 50% | 25% | $33,978 |
| Technical Theatre | 11 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | |
| Theatre Studies | 2 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $37,977 |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 2 | 3 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $33,862 |
| Theatre Direction | 2 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $35,800 |
| Theatre Arts Management | 1 | 3 | 67% / 33% | 0% | |
| Dance and Movement Studies | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Playwriting | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | |
| Theater Management | 1 | 1 | 100% / 0% | 0% |