Musical Theatre Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Musical Theatre maps to BLS occupations averaging about $48,935, with roughly 5,730 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,077 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $8,586.
Key Statistics
Musical Theatre: what the data shows
Common questions about musical theatre degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a musical theatre degree?
A Musical Theatre program is classified under NCES CIP 50.0509 in the Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft field family (50.05).
A program that focuses on the principles and techniques for integrating theatre, music, and dance into a unified production. Includes instruction in acting, dance, voice, technical theater, musical genres, piano, and history of musical theater
IPEDS counted 1,077 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of musical theatre 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)
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General (CIP 50.0501)
- 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 musical theatre degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 50.0509 in our file:
- 52 Associate (4.6% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 1,077 Bachelor's (94.8% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 7 Master's (0.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners (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 50.0509, 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 musical theatre degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Musical Theatre 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners | 5,730 | $45,320 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a musical theatre 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 $8,586 and median net price is $17,354.
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 Musical Theatre and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$8,586 Median In-State Public
$42,432 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Musical Theatre majors are, on average, $8,586 for in-state public colleges, and $42,432 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Musical Theatre programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Musical Theatre from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Musical Theatre.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Canyon University | AZ | 73,371 |
| 2 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 3 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 4 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 5 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Musical Theatre programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Haskell Indian Nations University | KS | $600 |
| 2 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 3 | Yuba College | CA | $1,128 |
| 4 | Lake Tahoe Community College | CA | $1,131 |
| 5 | El Camino Community College District | CA | $1,144 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Musical Theatre programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Canada College | CA | $32 |
| 2 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 3 | Henry Ford College | MI | $660 |
| 4 | Chipola College | FL | $1,133 |
| 5 | College of the Mainland | TX | $1,342 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Musical Theatre programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Musical Theatre 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 Musical Theatre is in NY (343 completions). That state represents about 31.9% 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 (0.12% 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 | 343 | 31.9% | 0.12% |
| IL | 110 | 10.2% | 0.08% |
| MA | 71 | 6.6% | 0.06% |
| TX | 54 | 5.0% | 0.02% |
| PA | 50 | 4.6% | 0.03% |
| MI | 44 | 4.1% | 0.04% |
| CA | 38 | 3.5% | 0.01% |
| OH | 32 | 3.0% | 0.02% |
| FL | 26 | 2.4% | 0.01% |
| VA | 26 | 2.4% | 0.02% |
| MO | 25 | 2.3% | 0.04% |
| OK | 25 | 2.3% | 0.06% |
| WI | 23 | 2.1% | 0.03% |
| IN | 21 | 1.9% | 0.02% |
| NC | 21 | 1.9% | 0.02% |
| CO | 19 | 1.8% | 0.03% |
| AL | 17 | 1.6% | 0.03% |
| CT | 14 | 1.3% | 0.03% |
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
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General CIP 50.0501
- 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 50.0509 in the survey year used in our extract (1,136 total across levels below).
- 52 Associate (4.6% of IPEDS total)
- 1,077 Bachelor's (94.8% of IPEDS total)
- 7 Master's (0.6% 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 $48,935. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Musical Theatre graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners | $48,935 | 5,730 |
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 Musical Theatre 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
$48,935 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Musical Theatre majors is $48,935.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Musical Theatre majors.
Occupations by Share
5,730 2023 Workforce
The number of Musical Theatre graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Musical Theatre by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Musical Theatre in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Musical Theatre.
Age distribution for Musical Theatre degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
1,077 Total Degrees Awarded
318 Male (29.53%)
759 Female (70.47%)
Gender distribution of Musical Theatre degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
696 White (64.62%)
141 Hispanic or Latino (13.09%)
89 Black or African American (8.26%)
78 Two or More Races (7.24%)
15 Asian (1.39%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Musical Theatre degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Musical Theatre are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Musical Theatre.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Musical Theatre field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Musical Theatre majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Musical Theatre 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 Musical Theatre majors.
About
A program that focuses on the principles and techniques for integrating theatre, music, and dance into a unified production. Includes instruction in acting, dance, voice, technical theater, musical genres, piano, and history of musical theater
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Musical Theatre.
CIP Code
50.0509 - Musical Theatre
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 Musical Theatre graduate.
Women earned 70.2% of 1,157 Musical Theatre completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $48,935. The largest mapped role by headcount is Musical Instrument Repairers and Tuners (5,730 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $8,586 in-state at public colleges and $42,432 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.