Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary salary
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $47,570 | Data unavailable |
| Median (50th percentile) | $78,620 | Data unavailable |
| Mean (average) | $94,700 | Data unavailable |
| 90th percentile | $163,350 | Data unavailable |
BLS publishes only annual wages for this occupation because workers are typically paid on an annual basis rather than hourly.
These wages describe everyone employed in the occupation, from new entrants to experienced workers. They are not starting salaries and not earnings of graduates from any particular program. Verified data
Art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary pay by state and metro area
Table: median wage and employment for all 50 states and territories
| State | Median | 10th pct | 90th pct | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $63,540 | $51,000 | $96,320 | 900 | 0.71 |
| Arizona | $72,060 | $62,150 | $110,050 | 1,040 | 0.53 |
| Arkansas | $60,650 | $46,640 | $100,340 | 360 | 0.46 |
| California | $99,410 | $60,420 | $202,740 | 9,820 | 0.9 |
| Colorado | $70,060 | $30,910 | $120,380 | 1,950 | 1.13 |
| Connecticut | $78,600 | $49,420 | $165,200 | 1,430 | 1.4 |
| Delaware | $103,320 | $31,200 | $158,900 | 150 | 0.51 |
| District of Columbia | $96,900 | $63,380 | $131,090 | 350 | 0.84 |
| Florida | $63,820 | $52,830 | $114,310 | 2,490 | 0.42 |
| Georgia | $79,870 | $45,860 | $120,790 | 1,910 | 0.65 |
| Idaho | $72,300 | $47,650 | $101,160 | 250 | 0.48 |
| Illinois | $62,960 | $31,200 | $118,270 | 4,170 | 1.14 |
| Indiana | $76,050 | $49,080 | $140,900 | 1,920 | 1 |
| Iowa | $77,740 | $47,290 | $159,410 | 910 | 0.97 |
| Kansas | $61,260 | $42,930 | $129,520 | 640 | 0.74 |
| Kentucky | $64,440 | $35,470 | $104,850 | 900 | 0.75 |
| Louisiana | $78,710 | $45,640 | $190,640 | 720 | 0.62 |
| Maine | $79,860 | $52,570 | $166,410 | 340 | 0.87 |
| Maryland | $85,590 | $50,900 | $170,120 | 1,280 | 0.77 |
| Massachusetts | $85,820 | $59,920 | $156,070 | 4,960 | 2.27 |
| Michigan | $82,990 | $48,820 | $136,690 | 2,410 | 0.91 |
| Minnesota | $77,760 | $48,840 | $123,150 | 1,310 | 0.74 |
| Mississippi | $60,580 | $40,350 | $79,820 | 540 | 0.77 |
| Missouri | $75,960 | $46,730 | $126,520 | 1,450 | 0.82 |
| Montana | $78,420 | $48,460 | $127,950 | 190 | 0.63 |
| Nebraska | $75,200 | $45,820 | $123,620 | 490 | 0.79 |
| Nevada | $52,870 | $49,850 | $107,470 | 260 | 0.28 |
| New Hampshire | $79,090 | $48,200 | $132,250 | 440 | 1.07 |
| New Jersey | $80,100 | $32,220 | $205,050 | 3,300 | 1.28 |
| New Mexico | $76,240 | $49,330 | $133,480 | 380 | 0.72 |
| New York | $98,850 | $58,140 | $272,120 | 14,920 | 2.56 |
| North Carolina | $73,800 | $45,460 | $104,620 | 2,880 | 0.97 |
| North Dakota | $67,190 | $50,790 | $107,570 | 130 | 0.5 |
| Ohio | $78,050 | $37,970 | $129,520 | 3,940 | 1.18 |
| Oklahoma | $62,200 | $34,570 | $83,650 | 760 | 0.74 |
| Oregon | $76,770 | $48,580 | $206,120 | 1,440 | 1.22 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,280 | $38,460 | $122,210 | 4,170 | 1.14 |
| Puerto Rico | $63,500 | $37,760 | $126,000 | 110 | 0.19 |
| Rhode Island | $97,580 | $62,820 | $158,850 | 440 | 1.45 |
| South Carolina | $62,420 | $29,160 | $104,440 | 1,290 | 0.93 |
| South Dakota | $63,380 | $51,360 | $81,890 | 200 | 0.73 |
| Tennessee | $72,030 | $49,000 | $108,110 | 1,370 | 0.69 |
| Texas | $77,560 | $40,170 | $128,210 | 6,730 | 0.79 |
| Utah | $66,220 | $47,210 | $107,130 | 790 | 0.76 |
| Vermont | $97,980 | $53,190 | $134,690 | 180 | 0.99 |
| Virginia | $74,870 | $43,520 | $124,260 | 2,840 | 1.15 |
| Washington | $77,950 | $52,230 | $103,170 | 1,400 | 0.66 |
| West Virginia | $73,280 | $51,280 | $99,250 | 340 | 0.8 |
| Wisconsin | $77,560 | $51,280 | $99,530 | 1,840 | 1.04 |
| Wyoming | $59,190 | $47,960 | $79,030 | 180 | 1.07 |
A location quotient above 1 means the occupation is more concentrated in that state than in the nation overall.
Metro areas with the most jobs
Highest paying metro areas
Job outlook for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
- Average annual openings, 2025 to 2035: 8,000. Openings include new jobs plus replacement needs when workers retire or leave the occupation. Official projection
- Share of workers who are self-employed (2025): 0.3%.
- Read the official BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile.
These are official BLS projections. ConnectPrep does not alter them or present its own forecasts as official statistics.
Education and training for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary
- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- O*NET Job Zone
- Job Zone Five: Extensive Preparation Needed
Highest education of people working in this occupation
O*NET describes this preparation level as: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Degrees and programs that lead to this career
Programs officially mapped to this occupation in the NCES and BLS CIP to SOC crosswalk. A mapping means the program commonly prepares students for the occupation, not that every graduate works in it. Official crosswalk
- Art Teacher Education CIP 13.1302
- Music Teacher Education CIP 13.1312
- Drama and Dance Teacher Education CIP 13.1324
- Visual and Performing Arts, General CIP 50.0101
- Digital Arts CIP 50.0102
- Crafts/Craft Design, Folk Art and Artisanry CIP 50.0201
- Dance, General CIP 50.0301
- Ballet CIP 50.0302
- Dance, Other CIP 50.0399
- Design and Visual Communications, General CIP 50.0401
- Industrial and Product Design CIP 50.0404
- Commercial Photography CIP 50.0406
- Fashion/Apparel Design CIP 50.0407
- Graphic Design CIP 50.0409
- Illustration CIP 50.0410
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General CIP 50.0501
- Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology CIP 50.0502
- Playwriting and Screenwriting CIP 50.0504
- Theatre Literature, History and Criticism CIP 50.0505
- Acting CIP 50.0506
- Directing and Theatrical Production CIP 50.0507
- Musical Theatre CIP 50.0509
- Costume Design CIP 50.0510
- Comedy Writing and Performance CIP 50.0511
- Theatre and Dance CIP 50.0512
- Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other CIP 50.0599
- Film/Cinema/Media Studies CIP 50.0601
- Cinematography and Film/Video Production CIP 50.0602
- Photography CIP 50.0605
- Documentary Production CIP 50.0607
Skills, knowledge, and daily work
Most important skills
Most important knowledge areas
Typical tasks
- Explain and demonstrate artistic techniques.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, performances, projects, assignments, and papers.
- Prepare students for performances, exams, or assessments.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as acting techniques, fundamentals of music, and art history.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
Technology skills
- Learning management system LMS (in demand)
- Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Adobe After Effects (hot technology)
- Adobe Creative Cloud software (hot technology)
- Adobe Illustrator (hot technology)
- Adobe InDesign (hot technology)
- Adobe Photoshop (hot technology)
- Cascading style sheets CSS (hot technology)
- Google Docs (hot technology)
- Hypertext markup language HTML (hot technology)
- JavaScript (hot technology)
- Linux (hot technology)
- Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
Transferable skills for career changers: Instructing, Social Perceptiveness, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Judgment and Decision Making, Coordination.
Common job titles: Art History Professor, Art Instructor, Art Professor, Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, Instructor, Music Instructor, Music Professor, Professor, Theater Professor.
Is it worth it? Model the cost of getting there
Use the ROI calculator to compare the cost of the education this career usually requires against staying on your current path. It starts from the official wage distribution above, and you can change every assumption.
Frequently asked questions
How much do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary make?
The national median annual wage for art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary was $78,620 in May 2025, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $47,570 and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $163,350. These figures cover all workers in the occupation, not only new entrants.
What education do art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary need?
BLS lists master's degree as the typical education needed to enter this occupation, with none of related work experience and none on-the-job training typically needed to become competent.
Is art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary a growing career?
BLS projects employment of art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary to change +2.2% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all occupations. About 8,000 openings are projected each year on average, including openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
Which states pay art, drama, and music teachers, postsecondary the most?
By median annual wage in May 2025, the highest paying states were Delaware ($103,320), California ($99,410), New York ($98,850). Pay differences partly reflect differences in living costs.