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 | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performing Arts | 830 | 13,294 | 29% / 71% | 3% | $37,706 | 96% |
| Theatre | 264 | 3,368 | 32% / 68% | 3% | $36,903 | 96% |
| Theater | 317 | 2,734 | 31% / 69% | 2% | $36,766 | 96% |
| Dance | 238 | 2,301 | 9% / 91% | 2% | $37,592 | 96% |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 119 | 1,501 | 33% / 67% | 4% | $40,018 | 93% |
| Acting | 89 | 861 | 38% / 62% | 3% | $36,897 | 96% |
| Theatre Arts | 64 | 599 | 38% / 62% | 2% | $37,391 | 96% |
| Drama | 11 | 206 | 37% / 63% | 3% | $37,159 | 96% |
| Screenwriting | 6 | 196 | 44% / 56% | 4% | $36,488 | 93% |
| Playwriting and Screenwriting | 15 | 178 | 40% / 60% | 3% | $36,740 | 97% |
| Theatre Design and Technology | 41 | 162 | 31% / 69% | 0% | $37,792 | 97% |
| Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology | 20 | 152 | 26% / 74% | 3% | $34,311 | 94% |
| Theatre and Dance | 10 | 130 | 33% / 67% | 3% | $38,867 | 96% |
| Performance Studies | 2 | 121 | 36% / 64% | 2% | $52,406 | 100% |
| Drama and Theatre Arts | 59 | 78 | 40% / 60% | 1% | $38,601 | 90% |
| Directing and Theatrical Production | 26 | 65 | 23% / 77% | 2% | $36,822 | 96% |
| Drama and Dance Teacher Education | 22 | 45 | 11% / 89% | 0% | $53,403 | 94% |
| Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies | 2 | 42 | 36% / 64% | 5% | $45,245 | 95% |
| Performing Arts | 3 | 41 | 34% / 66% | 0% | $35,795 | 100% |
| Theatre and Drama | 2 | 41 | 37% / 63% | 10% | $37,324 | 93% |
| Comedy Writing and Performance | 2 | 35 | 63% / 37% | 3% | $33,256 | 97% |
| Theater, Dance, and Media | 1 | 33 | 27% / 73% | 12% | $46,036 | |
| Ballet | 3 | 30 | 13% / 87% | 3% | $31,993 | 96% |
| Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 5 | 26 | 12% / 88% | 0% | $30,343 | 96% |
| Drama and Dance Education | 7 | 25 | 20% / 80% | 0% | $52,756 | 98% |
| Theatre Design | 4 | 25 | 4% / 96% | 0% | $37,930 | 96% |
| Documentary Production | 4 | 22 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $37,544 | 95% |
| Theatre Design and Production | 3 | 20 | 10% / 90% | 0% | $38,172 | 100% |
| Theater Design | 1 | 20 | 35% / 65% | 25% | $31,583 | 95% |
| Theater Arts | 1 | 18 | 56% / 44% | 0% | $31,758 | 94% |
| Theater and Dance | 2 | 17 | 35% / 65% | 0% | $44,843 | 94% |
| Theatre Production | 1 | 17 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $25,602 | 90% |
| Theatre and Dance Education | 4 | 16 | 12% / 88% | 0% | $53,269 | 84% |
| Theatre Management | 12 | 15 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $41,239 | 95% |
| Dramatic Art | 1 | 14 | 14% / 86% | 0% | $40,840 | 100% |
| Theater and Performance Studies | 3 | 13 | 31% / 69% | 15% | $54,607 | |
| Performing Arts and Social Justice | 1 | 13 | 23% / 77% | 15% | $38,257 | |
| Visual and Dramatic Arts | 1 | 13 | 23% / 77% | 23% | $57,030 | |
| Technical Theatre | 10 | 11 | 18% / 82% | 0% | $38,793 | |
| Stage Management | 2 | 11 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $33,846 | 94% |
| Theatre Performance | 1 | 9 | 44% / 56% | 0% | $45,292 | 100% |
| Drama Education | 4 | 8 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $53,448 | 96% |
| Theatre Education | 2 | 8 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $50,163 | 100% |
| Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts | 2 | 7 | 57% / 43% | 0% | $34,332 | 100% |
| Performing & Media Arts | 1 | 7 | 29% / 71% | 29% | $60,056 | |
| Theater Design and Technology | 1 | 7 | 43% / 57% | 0% | $40,638 | 97% |
| Directing | 1 | 5 | 20% / 80% | 20% | $40,843 | 87% |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | 5 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $35,136 | |
| Theatre Design, Production, and Technology | 1 | 4 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $32,673 | 100% |
| Dance and Movement Studies | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $50,507 | |
| Theatre Studies | 1 | 3 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $44,648 | 100% |
| Theatre Literature, History, and Criticism | 3 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $35,228 | |
| Theatre/Theatre Arts Management | 2 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $39,400 | 91% |
| Theater Studies | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 50% | $47,664 | |
| Theatre Arts Management | 1 | 2 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $40,271 | |
| Theatre Arts and Performance Studies | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $22,278 | 92% |
| Theatre Literature, History and Criticism | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $33,060 | 99% |
| Theatre, Dance, and Performance Technology | 1 | 2 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $42,309 |