Education
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $78,620
- Outlook
- As fast as average
Master's degree
- Speaking
- Instructing
- Learning Strategies
ProgramsVisual and Performing Arts
Dance
CIP50.03
278 colleges offer Dance. See what it covers, which degree levels are available and what graduates earn and borrow.
Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Colleges offering it
- 278
- at its most common level
- Bachelor's earnings
- $40,844
- median, 4 years after
- Bachelor's debt
- $24,142
- median federal loans
Colleges offering it, by degree level
- Certificate
- 53
- Associate's
- 85
- Bachelor's
- 278
- Master's
- 56
- Doctoral
- 4
- Graduate/professional certificate
- 10
What it covers
About Dance
A general program that prepares individuals to express ideas, feelings, and/or inner visions through the performance of one or more of the dance disciplines, including but not limited to ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk dance, and that focuses on the study and analysis of dance as a cultural phenomenon. Includes instruction in technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
Definition: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs 2020, code 50.03.
Programs in this field
Colleges report these specific programs under CIP 50.03.
- Dance, General
- Ballet
By degree level
Earnings and debt by degree level
Medians across colleges of each college's own program median. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working.
| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate | 53 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Associate's | 85 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Bachelor's | 278 | $40,8444 yrs after · 58 colleges | $24,14249 colleges |
| Master's | 56 | $64,5074 yrs after · 3 colleges | $99,0721 college |
| Doctoral | 4 | Not reported | Not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 10 | Not reported | Not reported |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Colleges with too few graduates have their earnings and debt suppressed, so the number of colleges reporting is smaller than the number offering the program.
Bachelor's programs
Where Dance graduates earn the most
Median earnings four years after finishing, among programs with at least 10 graduates in the latest year. Earnings are one measure; cost and graduation rate matter too.
- 1
Iowa City, IA · Public · 17 graduates
$60,188
debt not reported
- 2
Allentown, PA · Private nonprofit · 20 graduates
$56,503
debt $26,000
- 3
University of South Carolina-Columbia
Columbia, SC · Public · 13 graduates
$55,274
debt not reported
- 4
Denton, TX · Public · 21 graduates
$53,072
debt $22,171
- 5
San Marcos, TX · Public · 41 graduates
$53,057
debt $21,302
- 6
Tuscaloosa, AL · Public · 37 graduates
$51,744
debt $26,000
- 7
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
New Brunswick, NJ · Public · 34 graduates
$51,736
debt $23,749
- 8
Orange, CA · Private nonprofit · 35 graduates
$50,612
debt $21,759
- 9
New York, NY · Private nonprofit · 20 graduates
$50,287
debt $22,498
- 10
Denton, TX · Public · 13 graduates
$49,063
debt not reported
Careers
Careers this program leads to
Occupations linked to Dance by the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for each occupation.
Arts, design and media
Choreographers
- Median pay
- $55,310
- Outlook
- As fast as average
High school diploma
- Instructing
- Active Listening
- Coordination
More in Visual and Performing Arts
Other programs in the same area of study, by how many colleges offer them.
Every program in this area- Music1,058 colleges
- Fine and Studio Arts1,052 colleges
- Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft862 colleges
- Design and Applied Arts652 colleges
- Film/Video and Photographic Arts427 colleges
- Visual and Performing Arts, General298 colleges
- Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management230 colleges
- Visual and Performing Arts, Other62 colleges
Questions about Dance
How many colleges offer Dance?
Published colleges on CollegesRef report Dance at these degree levels: certificate (53 colleges), associate's (85 colleges), bachelor's (278 colleges), master's (56 colleges), doctoral (4 colleges), graduate/professional certificate (10 colleges). Counts are from College Scorecard field-of-study data (2025).
What do Dance graduates earn?
At the median college, bachelor's graduates in Dance earn $40,844 a year four years after finishing, across 58 colleges that report earnings. Figures cover graduates who received federal aid.
Where do Dance graduates earn the most?
University of Iowa reports the highest median earnings for bachelor's graduates in Dance: $60,188 four years after finishing, among programs with at least 10 graduates.