Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary earn $78,620 nationally at the median. The middle 50% of workers fall between $61,620 and $103,850. Where you land depends on specialization, employer, and experience.
Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
Also known as:
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary earn $78,620 nationally, above the national median for college graduates. The middle 50% of earners fall between $61,620 and $103,850. Actual pay varies by employer, specialization, and location.
Above the national median for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
The mean wage for this occupation is $94,700, above the median. A concentration of very high earners pulls the average up. The median is the better gauge of typical pay.
O*NET data identifies 5 core activities and 5 measurable skills for Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary roles. Use this section to judge whether the day-to-day reality aligns with what you actually want to spend time doing.
Working closely with people, teaching, advising, or helping others navigate challenges is a defining feature of this career's daily work.
Creative and original thinking matters in this field, where fresh approaches, design sensibility, or expressive work drives real outcomes.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
Low time pressure. Work pace is typically steady and self-directed.
The BLS projects +1.7% employment change for Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary through 2034, below the national average of +5%. About 9,000 openings per year keep the field accessible to new entrants.
Slower than average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2024.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2024.
The five states below employ the most Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $78,620 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 17,600 | $110,000 | +39.9% |
| 2 | California | 10,100 | $105,980 | +34.8% |
| 3 | Texas | 7,190 | $76,290 | -3.0% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 5,780 | $83,490 | +6.2% |
| 5 | Ohio | 4,130 | $73,050 | -7.1% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
Most Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary positions require a master's degree to qualify. The 10 programs below are the most common academic pathways into this field, ranked by how many graduates they produce each year.
Extensive education (usually a master's or doctoral degree) plus years of field experience is required to qualify for most positions.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Teaching Specific Subjects | 40,101 | $51,389 | 1,276 |
| 2 | Fine Arts | 36,332 | $41,367 | 1,458 |
| 3 | Design | 36,019 | $51,490 | 1,238 |
| 4 | Music | 26,167 | $42,892 | 1,387 |
| 5 | Film & Video Production | 18,531 | $43,765 | 678 |
| 6 | Drama & Theatre | 16,853 | $39,775 | 1,116 |
| 7 | Visual & Performing Arts | 6,785 | $41,688 | 550 |
| 8 | Arts Therapy | 4,722 | $48,240 | 346 |
| 9 | Dance | 3,233 | $39,980 | 363 |
| 10 | Visual and Performing Arts | 1,026 | $47,629 | 93 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ | 94 | $6,128 | $110,066 |
| 2 | CUNY Bernard M Baruch College New York, NY | 93 | $3,033 | $75,971 |
| 3 | University of California-Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA | 93 | $12,548 | $82,511 |
| 4 | University of California-San Diego La Jolla, CA | 93 | $12,470 | $84,943 |
| 5 | University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA | 93 | $13,481 | $92,446 |
| 6 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL | 93 | $6,541 | $71,588 |
Once you've sized up Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
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The data on Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary shows 2 measurable strengths and 2 real trade-offs. All points are drawn from BLS wage data, employment projections, and IPEDS program completions.
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Group every career by the degree it requires and master's-level jobs pay a median of about $91,000, statistically tied with bachelor's-level work. The premium hides in a few fields.
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