Theater Arts major
Theater Arts: courses, careers, and where to study
Theater Arts trains students to stage live dramatic productions through acting, directing, and design, fitting people who want to bring stories to life in front of an audience.
A Theater Arts major studies how dramatic works are written, interpreted, and brought to life in front of an audience. Students read plays across periods and styles, examine the conventions of tragedy, comedy, and other dramatic forms, and learn how a script moves from the page to a finished performance. Coursework blends time in the classroom analyzing texts with time in rehearsal halls, studios, and shops, where students act, direct, build sets, hang lights, and run the backstage systems that hold a production together. Unlike a Film or Media Production major, which centers on the camera and editing, or a Dance major, which centers on choreographed movement, Theater Arts treats the live or staged dramatic event as a whole and asks students to understand every role that makes it work, from performer to stage manager to designer.
Most students earn a bachelor's degree, often a Bachelor of Arts that pairs theater study with broader liberal-arts courses, or a Bachelor of Fine Arts that concentrates studio and conservatory-style training. Programs are hands-on by design: students complete acting and directing studios, technical-theater labs, and production practicums where they staff real shows, frequently finishing with a capstone or thesis production they help mount. No general license is required to work in theater, and entry usually depends on training, auditions, a portfolio, and accumulated production credits rather than a credential; graduates who want to teach in public schools, however, typically need a state teaching license, and any program-specific accreditation a school holds is worth verifying directly. Graduates work in regional and touring theaters, in stage and production-management roles, in educational and community arts settings, and in adjacent fields such as film, television, events, and arts administration.
In federal data for the closely related occupation of producers and directors, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a 2024 median wage of $83,480 and projects employment to grow about 4.9% from 2024 to 2034; a bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education for that occupation. National figures are occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages or graduate outcomes.
Academic classification (CIP)
In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Theater Arts maps to CIP 50.0501, Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General, within the VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS family. The official definition:
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov
What credential Theater Arts is awarded as
Of the 10,683 Theater Arts credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:
- Certificate5%493
- Associate10%1,038
- Bachelor's77%8,235
- Graduate9%917
This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 36 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 10 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.
Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.
What you'll study
- Acting technique and scene-study studios
- Voice, speech, and movement for the stage
- Play analysis and dramatic literature across periods
- Directing and rehearsal-process fundamentals
- Stagecraft, scenic construction, and shop safety
- Lighting, sound, and projection design
- Costume design, makeup, and wardrobe
- Stage management and production coordination
- Production practicum mounting full live shows
Typical careers
- Director
- Producer
- Stage Manager
- Actor
- Theater Educator
- Production Designer
Typical salary range: Early-career wages vary by employer, region, and experience (BLS, 2024 producers and directors median $83,480).Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.
Related occupations
Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Theater Arts, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.
| Occupation | Median pay | Openings / yr | Projected change | Most entrants hold |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Producers and Directors | $83,480 | 12,800 | +4.9% | Bachelor's degree |
| Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary | $80,190 | 9,000 | +1.7% | Master's degree |
| Actors | Not reported | 6,300 | +0.3% | Some college, no degree |
| Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other | Not reported | 4,400 | +6% | No formal educational credential |
Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 2 of these 4 occupations report a median wage.
“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Theater Arts does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.
Before you commit to a Theater Arts major
CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Theater Arts program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.
Ask the Theater Arts department
- Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
- What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
- What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
- Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?
Ask current students & check the curriculum
- How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
- What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
- Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
- How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Find a Theater Arts program
CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.
Colleges that awarded the most Theater Arts credentials
Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.
- New York UniversityNY · 454
- American Musical and Dramatic AcademyNY · 243
- Texas State UniversityTX · 135
- Northwestern UniversityIL · 102
- Savannah College of Art and DesignGA · 99
- Florida State UniversityFL · 97
- University of California-IrvineCA · 95
- University of North Carolina at GreensboroNC · 82
- University of Central FloridaFL · 81
- Columbia University in the City of New YorkNY · 80
- University of California-Los AngelesCA · 79
- Muhlenberg CollegePA · 78
Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.
Where Theater Arts credentials were awarded
25 states have a distinct enough set of Theater Arts colleges to be worth its own page.
Related majors
Film Production
Film Production teaches the craft of making moving images, from screenwriting and directing to cinematography, editing, and sound, for students who want hands-on, collaborative creative work.
Music
Music combines performance, theory, and history with applied study on a primary instrument or voice, suiting students who want formal training in composing, performing, or teaching music.
Communications
Communications studies how messages move through media, combining writing, public speaking, and media analysis with hands-on training in PR, journalism, broadcasting, or strategic communication.
English & Literature
English develops critical reading, analytical writing, and rhetorical skill, a flexible major that feeds into law, publishing, education, marketing, and any field that values communication.
Digital Media
Digital Media is a hands-on field where students design, produce, and manage content for screens and networks, blending visual creativity with technical and storytelling skills.
Put this major in context
The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Theater Arts degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.
Explore Arts, Design & Media careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
Explore Education & Library careers
Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.
How one major leads to many careers
Why a single Theater Arts degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.
Why a median wage is not a starting salary
How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.
When accreditation and licensure matter
How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Theater Arts path before you enroll.
Does a pricier college pay off?
How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.
Does picking a major narrow your college list?
Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.
Certificate or degree?
What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.
How this guide is sourced
This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.