# Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

> 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.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/art-drama-and-music-teachers-postsecondary
- SOC code: 25-1121.00
- Career family: Education
- Median annual pay: $78,620 (10th percentile $47,570, 90th percentile $163,350)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.2%
- Openings a year: 8,000
- Typical entry education: Master's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code SAI)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 34 |
| Investigative (I) | 52 |
| Artistic (A) | 79 |
| Social (S) | 100 |
| Enterprising (E) | 19 |
| Conventional (C) | 27 |

## What you'd do

- Thinking Creatively (importance 97/100)
- Training and Teaching Others (importance 93/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 93/100)
- Coaching and Developing Others (importance 88/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 87/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 83/100)
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work (importance 81/100)
- Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates (importance 76/100)
- Getting Information (importance 75/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 75/100)

## Skills

Speaking, Instructing, Learning Strategies, Active Learning, Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

Fine Arts, Education and Training, English Language, Communications and Media, History and Archeology, Psychology, Philosophy and Theology, Computers and Electronics, Sociology and Anthropology, Customer and Personal Service

## Also called

Adjunct Art Instructor, Adjunct College Instructor, Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor, Adjunct Instructor, Adjunct Lecturer, Adjunct Music Instructor, Adjunct Music Professor, Adjunct Professor, Art Educator, Art History Professor

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Fine and Studio Arts](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5007) (CIP 5007, 1,455 colleges)
- [Music](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5009) (CIP 5009, 1,381 colleges)
- [Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1313) (CIP 1313, 1,257 colleges)
- [Design and Applied Arts](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5004) (CIP 5004, 1,175 colleges)
- [Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5005) (CIP 5005, 1,130 colleges)
- [Film/Video and Photographic Arts](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5006) (CIP 5006, 676 colleges)
- [Visual and Performing Arts, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5001) (CIP 5001, 571 colleges)
- [Dance](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5003) (CIP 5003, 372 colleges)
- [Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5010) (CIP 5010, 351 colleges)
- [Visual and Performing Arts, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5099) (CIP 5099, 103 colleges)
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry (CIP 5002, 26 colleges)
- Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art (CIP 5011, 10 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Carnegie Mellon University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/carnegie-mellon-university-406) | Design and Applied Arts | $91,413 | $138,588 | $21,000 |
| [Lawrence Technological University-Michigan](https://www.collegesref.com/college/lawrence-technological-university-michigan-1459) | Design and Applied Arts | $62,595 | $99,444 | $27,000 |
| [University of Washington-Seattle Main Campus](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-washington-seattle-main-campus-3075) | Design and Applied Arts | $51,789 | $89,193 | $15,000 |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Design and Applied Arts | $52,814 | $89,022 | $18,250 |
| [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-rpi-2221) | Design and Applied Arts | $34,202 | $87,358 | $25,500 |
| [Northeastern University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/northeastern-university-1923) | Design and Applied Arts | $61,815 | $87,336 | $19,500 |
| [University of Notre Dame-South Bend IN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-notre-dame-south-bend-in-3005) | Design and Applied Arts | $56,560 | $83,414 | $19,750 |
| [California State University-Sacramento](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-sacramento-375) | Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas | $69,280 | $82,062 | $23,000 |

## Related careers

- [Self-Enrichment Teachers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/self-enrichment-teachers): $46,800 median pay
- [English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/english-language-and-literature-teachers-postsecondary): $78,760 median pay
- [Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/teaching-assistants-postsecondary): $42,910 median pay
- [Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/area-ethnic-and-cultural-studies-teachers-postsecondary): $85,020 median pay
- [Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/architecture-teachers-postsecondary): $96,870 median pay
- [Communications Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/communications-teachers-postsecondary): $78,580 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.