Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General maps to BLS occupations averaging about $64,987, with roughly 1,596,050 workers nationwide in those roles. About 8,298 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median program completion runs near 60%.
Key Statistics
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General: what the data shows
Common questions about drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degree?
A Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0501 in the Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft field family (50.05).
A program that focuses on the general study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing full live or filmed productions
IPEDS counted 8,298 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 50.05 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Acting (CIP 50.0506)
- Comedy Writing and Performance (CIP 50.0511)
- Costume Design (CIP 50.0510)
- Directing and Theatrical Production (CIP 50.0507)
- Musical Theatre (CIP 50.0509)
- Playwriting and Screenwriting (CIP 50.0504)
- Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology (CIP 50.0502)
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism (CIP 50.0505)
- Theatre and Dance (CIP 50.0512)
How long does it take to get a drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0501 in our file:
- 1,039 Associate (10.2% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 8,298 Bachelor's (81.7% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 820 Master's (8.1% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 1 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What do you learn in drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general?
O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Speaking, Writing, Critical Thinking, Service Orientation, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.
What degree do you need?
For Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 50.0501, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,500,000 | — |
| Secondary School Teachers | 1,072,540 | $64,580 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a drama and dramatics/theatre arts, general degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft bachelor's program family: median debt $51,525, median earnings $39,775 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 2.48.
About 3.6% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $9,728 and median net price is $20,110.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$9,728 Median In-State Public
$51,404 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors are, on average, $9,728 for in-state public colleges, and $51,404 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
8,298 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,398 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,099 |
| 3 | University of Central Florida | FL | 59,095 |
| 4 | University of Maryland Global Campus | MD | 48,238 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 44,617 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Laney College | CA | $1,148 |
| 2 | Berkeley City College | CA | $1,148 |
| 3 | Chabot College | CA | $1,150 |
| 4 | Fullerton College | CA | $1,150 |
| 5 | Irvine Valley College | CA | $1,156 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $10 |
| 2 | West Valley College | CA | $1,842 |
| 3 | Irvine Valley College | CA | $1,886 |
| 4 | Moreno Valley College | CA | $1,996 |
| 5 | College of the Canyons | CA | $2,114 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General programs.
Graduation Rates
59.53% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)
58.93% Average Graduation Rate
1,010 Institutions Reporting
46.52% - 70.99% Interquartile Range
Graduation/completion rates for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General is in NY (1,096 completions). That state represents about 13.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is NY (0.40% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| NY | 1,096 | 13.2% | 0.40% |
| CA | 1,064 | 12.8% | 0.24% |
| TX | 607 | 7.3% | 0.21% |
| FL | 396 | 4.8% | 0.17% |
| IL | 365 | 4.4% | 0.26% |
| NC | 322 | 3.9% | 0.26% |
| PA | 320 | 3.9% | 0.19% |
| VA | 280 | 3.4% | 0.23% |
| GA | 267 | 3.2% | 0.23% |
| MA | 244 | 2.9% | 0.19% |
| OH | 223 | 2.7% | 0.16% |
| IN | 193 | 2.3% | 0.19% |
| NJ | 184 | 2.2% | 0.21% |
| MI | 173 | 2.1% | 0.15% |
| WI | 162 | 1.9% | 0.21% |
| UT | 156 | 1.9% | 0.14% |
| SC | 140 | 1.7% | 0.25% |
| TN | 136 | 1.6% | 0.18% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 50.05 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Acting CIP 50.0506
- Comedy Writing and Performance CIP 50.0511
- Costume Design CIP 50.0510
- Directing and Theatrical Production CIP 50.0507
- Musical Theatre CIP 50.0509
- Playwriting and Screenwriting CIP 50.0504
- Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology CIP 50.0502
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism CIP 50.0505
- Theatre and Dance CIP 50.0512
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0501 in the survey year used in our extract (10,158 total across levels below).
- 1,039 Associate (10.2% of IPEDS total)
- 8,298 Bachelor's (81.7% of IPEDS total)
- 820 Master's (8.1% of IPEDS total)
- 1 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $64,987. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Teachers, Postsecondary | $36,511 | 1,500,000 |
| Secondary School Teachers | $104,813 | 1,072,540 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft CIP family (58 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General graduate.
- $51,525 median federal loan debt among completers
- $39,775 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 2.48 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 3.6% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$40,621 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors is $40,621.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors.
Occupations by Share
1,596,050 2023 Workforce
The number of Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
Age distribution for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
8,298 Total Degrees Awarded
2,646 Male (31.89%)
5,652 Female (68.11%)
Gender distribution of Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
5,006 White (60.33%)
1,348 Hispanic or Latino (16.24%)
820 Black or African American (9.88%)
426 Two or More Races (5.13%)
280 Asian (3.37%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General majors.
About
A program that focuses on the general study of dramatic works and their performance. Includes instruction in major works of dramatic literature, dramatic styles and types, and the principles of organizing and producing full live or filmed productions
In 2023, 8,298 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General.
CIP Code
50.0501 - Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $51,525 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $39,775, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 2.48. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General graduate.
Women earned 66.8% of 10,778 Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $64,987. The largest mapped role by headcount is Teachers, Postsecondary (1,500,000 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $9,728 in-state at public colleges and $51,404 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.