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CIP 50.0501 Visual and Performing Arts

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education · 2025

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Total graduates

9,859

2025 · 807 schools

International share

3.3%

326 international students

Bachelor's degrees

7,888

2.7% international

Master's degrees

783

10.2% international

Overview

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General is a vibrant and dynamic field of study that encompasses the artistic, social, and historical aspects of theatre. This major provides students with a comprehensive understanding of performance, production, and the various elements that contribute to the theatrical experience.

Students in this program typically engage in courses covering acting, directing, playwriting, stage design, and theatre history. They not only hone their performance skills but also learn about the technical aspects of theatre, including lighting, sound, and set design. This multifaceted approach prepares graduates for various roles within the performing arts industry, from actors and directors to stage managers and technical directors.

Moreover, the curriculum often emphasizes the importance of collaboration, as theatre is inherently a team-driven art form. Students work closely with peers in ensemble settings, fostering skills in communication, problem-solving, and creativity. Additionally, many programs encourage participation in productions, giving students practical experience and the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in real-world settings.

The study of Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts also delves into the cultural significance of theatre, exploring how it reflects and influences society. This critical perspective equips students with an understanding of the role of theatre in addressing social issues and contributing to cultural dialogues.

In summary, a degree in Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General prepares students for a diverse array of careers in the performing arts, while also fostering a deep appreciation for the art of storytelling and its impact on society.

Graduates by year

Graduates by degree level (first and second majors)

AssociateBachelor'sMaster'sDoctoral

From 2002 to 2025, graduates fell 0% and the international share went from 2.0% to 3.3%.

International share (%)
Graduates by group, 2025
White
57.7%
Asian
3.4%
Hispanic
17.6%
Black
9.9%
Other
8.1%
Intl.
3.3%

Colleges that award this degree

In 2025, 807 schools awarded this degree as a first major. The table lists those in the 2027 U.S. News National or Liberal Arts rankings, plus the unranked schools with the most graduates.

RankSchoolStateGraduatesInternational
#1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts 1 0
#3 Harvard University Massachusetts 2 1
#4 Yale University Connecticut 12 0
#5 Stanford University California 4 1
#7 University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 1 0
#8 Duke University North Carolina 2 0
#9 Northwestern University Illinois 122 4
#12 Dartmouth College New Hampshire 5 0
#12 Columbia University in the City of New York New York 66 12
#14 Cornell University New York 6 4
#14 Carnegie Mellon University Pennsylvania 50 1
#16 Washington University in St Louis Missouri 6 1
#16 Brown University Rhode Island 6 2
#16 Vanderbilt University Tennessee 1 0
#20 University of California-Berkeley California 33 2
#20 University of California-Los Angeles California 81 8
#20 University of Notre Dame Indiana 31 0
#23 Georgetown University D.C. 3 0
#23 Emory University Georgia 2 1
#25 University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Michigan 30 3
#26 University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia 6 1
#27 University of Southern California California 41 5
#27 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill North Carolina 18 0
#29 University of California-San Diego California 61 1
#31 Boston College Massachusetts 3 1
#31 Tufts University Massachusetts 2 0
#31 New York University New York 424 46
#34 University of California-Davis California 10 2
#34 University of California-Irvine California 91 10
#34 University of Florida Florida 47 0
#34 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Illinois 50 3
#34 Boston University Massachusetts 11 0
#34 Wake Forest University North Carolina 1 1
#34 The University of Texas at Austin Texas 32 3
#34 University of Wisconsin-Madison Wisconsin 14 2
#42 Northeastern University Massachusetts 8 0
#42 Villanova University Pennsylvania 5 0
#44 University of California-Santa Barbara California 32 1
#44 Rutgers University-New Brunswick New Jersey 49 0
#44 Case Western Reserve University Ohio 4 0
#44 Ohio State University-Main Campus Ohio 28 0
#44 Lehigh University Pennsylvania 1 0
#49 University of Maryland-College Park Maryland 22 0
#49 University of Washington-Seattle Campus Washington 5 0
#52 University of Georgia Georgia 33 2
#52 College of William and Mary Virginia 7 1
#52 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Virginia 23 2
#55 Santa Clara University California 5 0
#55 University of Miami Florida 9 0
#55 The Pennsylvania State University Pennsylvania 8 2
#55 Purdue University-Main Campus Indiana 13 0
#59 George Washington University D.C. 5 0
#59 Florida State University Florida 80 2
#59 Tulane University of Louisiana Louisiana 3 0
#59 Brandeis University Massachusetts 9 1
#59 University of Massachusetts-Amherst Massachusetts 22 4
#59 University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Minnesota 42 0
#59 Stony Brook University New York 1 0
#59 University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Pennsylvania 15 1
#69 Michigan State University Michigan 33 1
#72 Syracuse University New York 7 1
#73 University of Connecticut Connecticut 8 1
#73 Indiana University-Bloomington Indiana 23 1
#73 Rutgers University-Newark New Jersey 3 0
#73 Binghamton University New York 4 2
#85 Fordham University New York 40 4
#85 University at Buffalo New York 17 1
#85 Southern Methodist University Texas 25 4
#90 Baylor University Texas 2 0
#90 Texas Christian University Texas 7 0
#90 Gonzaga University Washington 3 0
#90 Marquette University Wisconsin 1 0
#95 American University D.C. 10 0
#95 University of Illinois at Chicago Illinois 6 0
#95 University of Missouri-Columbia Missouri 19 1
#95 Rutgers University--Camden New Jersey 7 0
#100 Auburn University Alabama 10 0
#100 Chapman University California 23 2
#100 University of San Diego California 3 0
#100 Florida International University Florida 4 0
#100 University of South Florida-Main Campus Florida 33 0
#100 University of Iowa Iowa 18 0
#100 Saint Louis University Missouri 1 0
#100 Creighton University Nebraska 4 0
#109 University of California-Santa Cruz California 21 0
#109 Loyola Marymount University California 63 7
#109 University of Colorado Boulder Colorado 34 0
#109 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus New Hampshire 23 0
#109 The University of Tennessee-Knoxville Tennessee 26 0
#116 University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus Oklahoma 22 0
#116 University of Oregon Oregon 13 0
#116 Brigham Young University-Provo Utah 17 1
#121 Arizona State University-Tempe Arizona 42 3
#121 University of Arizona Arizona 10 0
#121 University of Denver Colorado 5 0
#121 University of Central Florida Florida 104 1
#121 Loyola University Chicago Illinois 26 0
#121 SUNY at Albany New York 7 0
#121 University of South Carolina-Columbia South Carolina 20 0
#121 George Mason University Virginia 18 1
#133 Clark University Massachusetts 1 0
#133 Miami University-Oxford Ohio 9 0
#133 University of Vermont Vermont 10 0
#137 University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama 12 0
#137 California State University--Long Beach California 74 3
#137 San Diego State University California 49 2
#137 San Jose State University California 12 0
#137 University of Maryland-Baltimore County Maryland 8 0
#137 University of Houston Texas 39 0
#137 James Madison University Virginia 55 0
#148 California State University-Los Angeles California 34 0
#148 Catholic University of America D.C. 9 1
#148 Mercer University Georgia 5 0
#148 University of Kansas Kansas 16 0
#148 University of Kentucky Kentucky 14 0
#148 University of Rhode Island Rhode Island 11 0
#156 The University of Alabama Alabama 33 0
#156 California State University-Fullerton California 97 0
#156 Quinnipiac University Connecticut 1 0
#156 Florida A&M University Florida 10 0
#156 Kansas State University Kansas 17 1
#156 Montclair State University New Jersey 60 0
#156 Seton Hall University New Jersey 2 0
#156 CUNY--City College New York 23 0
#156 Oregon State University Oregon 3 0
#156 University of Portland Oregon 4 0
#156 Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia 64 1
#169 Colorado State University-Fort Collins Colorado 19 0
#169 DePaul University Illinois 16 0
#169 Butler University Indiana 8 0
#169 University of Nebraska-Lincoln Nebraska 15 1
#169 University of North Carolina at Charlotte North Carolina 30 0
#179 University of Louisville Kentucky 8 0
#179 University of Mississippi Mississippi 18 0
#179 CUNY Hunter College New York 28 2
#179 University of Cincinnati-Main Campus Ohio 16 2
#179 University of Utah Utah 53 0
#179 Seattle University Washington 4 0
#186 California Lutheran University California 6 0
#186 University of Hawaii at Manoa Hawaii 8 0
#186 University of Detroit Mercy Michigan 3 0
#186 Wayne State University Michigan 36 2
#186 Texas Tech University Texas 33 1
#191 Samford University Alabama 3 0
#191 University of Arkansas Arkansas 15 0
#191 Florida Atlantic University Florida 30 1
#191 Drake University Iowa 1 0
#191 Rowan University New Jersey 23 1
#191 Adelphi University New York 15 0
#191 Hofstra University New York 27 0
#191 Oklahoma State University-Main Campus Oklahoma 12 0
#202 Sacred Heart University Connecticut 6 0
#202 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Louisiana 37 0
#202 University of Massachusetts-Boston Massachusetts 10 0
#202 East Carolina University North Carolina 29 1
#202 Ohio University-Main Campus Ohio 7 0
#202 University of St. Thomas (TX) Texas 2 0
#208 California State University--Fresno California 16 0
#208 California State University-Sacramento California 24 0
#208 University of La Verne California 5 0
#208 University of Idaho Idaho 69 0
#208 University of North Carolina at Greensboro North Carolina 57 0
#208 Ohio Northern University Ohio 10 0
#208 Xavier University Ohio 4 0
#208 Willamette University Oregon 7 0
#208 Belmont University Tennessee 2 0
#208 University of North Texas Texas 64 2
#219 Illinois State University Illinois 62 5
#219 Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis Indiana 5 0
#219 University of Nevada-Reno Nevada 6 0
#219 North Carolina A&T State University North Carolina 13 0
#219 University of North Carolina--Wilmington North Carolina 26 0
#227 San Francisco State University California 23 0
#227 Ball State University Indiana 54 0
#227 The New School New York 43 7
#227 Russell Sage College New York 1 0
#227 University of North Dakota North Dakota 2 0
#227 West Chester University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 15 0
#227 West Virginia University West Virginia 32 0
#236 Stetson University Florida 3 0
#236 University of Nevada--Las Vegas Nevada 31 0
#236 University of New Mexico-Main Campus New Mexico 9 0
#236 North Dakota State University-Main Campus North Dakota 8 0
#236 Kent State University at Kent Ohio 16 0
#236 Pacific University Oregon 1 0
#236 Portland State University Oregon 13 0
#236 Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 5 0
#236 University of Texas-Arlington Texas 31 0
#250 Nova Southeastern University Florida 5 0
#250 University of Missouri--Kansas City Missouri 4 0
#250 New Mexico State University-Main Campus New Mexico 6 0
#250 South Dakota State University South Dakota 8 0
#250 University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley Texas 25 0
#262 University of Alabama--Huntsville Alabama 9 0
#262 Aurora University Illinois 4 0
#262 University of Maine Maine 6 0
#262 Suffolk University Massachusetts 12 2
#262 Central Michigan University Michigan 6 0
#262 DeSales University Pennsylvania 24 0
#262 University of South Dakota South Dakota 6 0
#262 University of Texas--El Paso Texas 7 0
#262 Seattle Pacific University Washington 4 0
#276 Northern Arizona University Arizona 18 0
#276 Harding University Arkansas 1 0
#276 California Baptist University California 7 0
#276 Marian University (IN) Indiana 2 0
#276 Bowling Green State University-Main Campus Ohio 19 1
#288 Biola University California 4 0
#288 Southern Illinois University-Carbondale Illinois 9 1
#288 University of Indianapolis Indiana 3 0
#288 Arcadia University Pennsylvania 11 0
#288 University of Memphis Tennessee 29 0
#288 Texas State University Texas 184 1
#288 Utah State University Utah 14 1
#288 University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee Wisconsin 29 0
#299 Southern Connecticut State University Connecticut 4 0
#299 Boise State University Idaho 14 0
#299 Saint Mary's University of Minnesota Minnesota 2 1
#299 University of Nebraska--Omaha Nebraska 12 0
#299 University of Toledo Ohio 6 0
#308 Northern Illinois University Illinois 37 0
#308 Oakland University Michigan 2 0
#308 University of Southern Mississippi Mississippi 25 0
#308 Wilkes University Pennsylvania 2 0
#308 Abilene Christian University Texas 16 0
#308 University of the Incarnate Word Texas 4 0
#317 Morgan State University Maryland 4 0
#317 Kean University New Jersey 10 0
#317 Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus Pennsylvania 6 0
#317 Emory & Henry University Virginia 1 0
#328 Georgia Southern University Georgia 12 0
#328 East Tennessee State University Tennessee 11 0
#328 Old Dominion University Virginia 12 0
#332 University of South Alabama Alabama 4 0
#332 Jacksonville University Florida 1 0
#332 Point Park University Pennsylvania 18 0
#332 Texas Woman's University Texas 18 0
#332 University of Lynchburg Virginia 3 0
#342 Concordia University -- Irvine California 4 1
#342 University of Northern Colorado Colorado 42 0
#342 Missouri State University Missouri 35 3
#342 Cleveland State University Ohio 10 0
#342 Kennesaw State University Georgia 46 0
#353 Jacksonville State University Alabama 6 0
#353 Arkansas State University Arkansas 6 0
#353 University of West Georgia Georgia 4 0
#353 University of Michigan--Flint Michigan 1 0
#353 Plymouth State University New Hampshire 5 0
#353 Youngstown State University Ohio 13 0
#353 Trevecca Nazarene University Tennessee 2 0
#353 University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras Puerto Rico 45 0
#353 Pennsylvania Western University Pennsylvania 9 0
#365 University of Central Arkansas Arkansas 11 0
#365 Indiana State University Indiana 6 0
#365 Northern Kentucky University Kentucky 32 0
#365 The University of Montana Montana 32 1
#365 Liberty University Virginia 8 0
#365 Eastern Washington University Washington 13 0
#376 University of Arkansas--Little Rock Arkansas 5 0
#376 Barry University Florida 5 0
#376 Concordia University-Saint Paul Minnesota 3 0
#376 Belhaven University Mississippi 6 0
#382 University of Alaska Fairbanks Alaska 7 0
#382 Grand Canyon University Arizona 16 0
#382 Palm Beach Atlantic University Florida 8 0
#382 Columbus State University Georgia 20 0
#382 Valdosta State University Georgia 20 0
#382 Idaho State University Idaho 5 0
#382 Governors State University Illinois 3 0
#382 University of New Orleans Louisiana 43 3
#382 University of Southern Maine Maine 12 0
#382 Northeastern State University Oklahoma 5 0
#382 Angelo State University Texas 4 0
#382 Texas A&M University--Corpus Christi Texas 21 1
#382 East Texas A&M University Texas 15 0
#382 Tarleton State University Texas 4 0
#382 Texas Southern University Texas 9 0
#382 Texas Wesleyan University Texas 4 0
#382 Regent University Virginia 18 0
LAC #2 Amherst College Massachusetts 1 0
LAC #3 Claremont McKenna College California 2 1
LAC #3 Pomona College California 1 0
LAC #3 Swarthmore College Pennsylvania 4 1
LAC #10 Wellesley College Massachusetts 3 0
LAC #12 Vassar College New York 23 1
LAC #12 Washington and Lee University Virginia 1 0
LAC #14 Wesleyan University Connecticut 14 0
LAC #14 Hamilton College New York 4 1
LAC #16 Carleton College Minnesota 1 0
LAC #16 Davidson College North Carolina 3 0
LAC #19 Barnard College New York 8 2
LAC #19 Middlebury College Vermont 5 2
LAC #21 University of Richmond Virginia 2 1
LAC #22 Colby College Maine 3 1
LAC #22 College of the Holy Cross Massachusetts 4 0
LAC #22 Smith College Massachusetts 9 0
LAC #22 Colgate University New York 5 1
LAC #26 Bates College Maine 4 1
LAC #29 Bucknell University Pennsylvania 2 0
LAC #30 Lafayette College Pennsylvania 2 0
LAC #31 Trinity College Connecticut 2 2
LAC #34 Colorado College Colorado 1 1
LAC #34 Spelman College Georgia 10 0
LAC #34 Franklin and Marshall College Pennsylvania 2 0
LAC #38 Occidental College California 7 0
LAC #38 Scripps College California 2 0
LAC #38 Trinity University Texas 6 0
LAC #41 Skidmore College New York 16 1
LAC #41 Kenyon College Ohio 9 1
LAC #44 Wabash College Indiana 1 0
LAC #44 Union College New York 5 0
LAC #47 Connecticut College Connecticut 5 0
LAC #47 Hillsdale College Michigan 4 0
LAC #49 DePauw University Indiana 2 0
LAC #49 St. Olaf College Minnesota 1 0
LAC #49 The University of the South Tennessee 1 0
LAC #54 Gettysburg College Pennsylvania 5 0
LAC #57 Furman University South Carolina 7 0
LAC #59 Oberlin College Ohio 9 0
LAC #60 Hobart and William Smith Colleges New York 1 0
LAC #60 Reed College Oregon 5 0
LAC #62 Berea College Kentucky 7 0
LAC #62 Gustavus Adolphus College Minnesota 7 0
LAC #62 Muhlenberg College Pennsylvania 66 1
LAC #68 Wofford College South Carolina 2 0
LAC #68 Lawrence University Wisconsin 6 1
LAC #74 Rollins College Florida 15 0
LAC #74 Principia College Illinois 1 0
LAC #74 Kalamazoo College Michigan 4 1
LAC #74 St. John's University (MN) Minnesota 1 0
LAC #78 Hope College Michigan 4 2
LAC #78 Whitman College Washington 6 0
LAC #83 Morehouse College Georgia 6 0
LAC #83 Earlham College Indiana 3 0
LAC #85 Knox College Illinois 8 0
LAC #85 Drew University New Jersey 12 0
LAC #85 Allegheny College Pennsylvania 4 0
LAC #85 Susquehanna University Pennsylvania 8 0
LAC #85 Randolph-Macon College Virginia 2 0
LAC #91 Ursinus College Pennsylvania 6 0
LAC #91 Southwestern University Texas 4 0
LAC #97 Washington College Maryland 1 0
LAC #97 Lewis & Clark College Oregon 14 0
LAC #97 Austin College Texas 2 0
LAC #100 Hendrix College Arkansas 2 0
LAC #100 Whittier College California 1 0
LAC #100 SUNY College at Geneseo New York 1 0
LAC #100 University of Puget Sound Washington 4 0
LAC #100 Beloit College Wisconsin 2 0
LAC #106 Pacific Lutheran University Washington 23 0
LAC #109 Westmont College California 2 0
LAC #111 Luther College Iowa 2 0
LAC #111 Whitworth University Washington 6 0
LAC #116 Ohio Wesleyan University Ohio 5 0
LAC #116 Saint Michael's College Vermont 1 0
LAC #116 Roanoke College Virginia 1 0
LAC #119 Coe College Iowa 4 0
LAC #119 Albion College Michigan 1 0
LAC #119 Meredith College North Carolina 4 0
LAC #119 Ripon College Wisconsin 1 0
LAC #119 California State University-Channel Islands California 3 0
LAC #125 Emmanuel College Massachusetts 3 0
LAC #125 Sarah Lawrence College New York 7 0
LAC #128 Cornell College Iowa 4 0
LAC #128 University of Minnesota-Morris Minnesota 8 0
LAC #128 SUNY at Purchase College New York 29 1
LAC #132 Eckerd College Florida 9 0
LAC #132 Centenary College of Louisiana Louisiana 5 0
LAC #132 Bennington College Vermont 18 1
LAC #132 Saint Norbert College Wisconsin 3 0
LAC #138 Truman State University Missouri 5 0
LAC #140 Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts Massachusetts 2 0
LAC #142 Eastern Connecticut State University Connecticut 10 0
LAC #142 Covenant College Georgia 1 0
LAC #142 The College of Idaho Idaho 2 0
LAC #146 Oglethorpe University Georgia 4 0
LAC #146 Gordon College Massachusetts 2 0
LAC #150 Dillard University Louisiana 6 0
LAC #150 New College of Florida Florida 4 0
LAC #154 University of North Carolina Asheville North Carolina 3 0
LAC #157 Randolph College Virginia 8 0
LAC #160 Albright College Pennsylvania 10 0
LAC #168 Lyon College Arkansas 3 0
LAC #168 Cottey College Missouri 3 0
LAC #170 Western Oregon University Oregon 3 0
LAC #172 Brigham Young University-Idaho Idaho 19 1
LAC #172 University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Wisconsin 6 0
LAC #176 Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia 2 0
LAC #178 University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma Oklahoma 11 1
LAC #180 Alabama State University Alabama 12 0
LAC #181 Bethany College West Virginia 1 0
LAC #184 Fort Lewis College Colorado 4 0
LAC #184 Young Harris College Georgia 3 0
— Savannah College of Art and Design Georgia 97 4
— Utah Valley University Utah 85 0
— California State University-Northridge California 57 3
— Long Island University New York 57 0
— CUNY Brooklyn College New York 55 4
— Emerson College Massachusetts 51 5
— Southern Oregon University Oregon 42 1
— Citrus College California 39 1
— Western Washington University Washington 39 0
— Diablo Valley College California 37 0
— University of North Carolina School of the Arts North Carolina 36 0
— Stephen F. Austin State University Texas 35 0
— Moorpark College California 32 0
— Sam Houston State University Texas 32 0
— Appalachian State University North Carolina 31 0
— Coastal Carolina University South Carolina 31 0
— College of Charleston South Carolina 29 0
— Ithaca College New York 28 0
— University of Minnesota-Duluth Minnesota 27 0
— CUNY Graduate School and University Center New York 26 2
— State University of New York at New Paltz New York 26 1
— Pasadena City College California 24 0
— Molloy University New York 24 0
— California State Polytechnic University-Pomona California 23 0
— Fresno City College California 23 0
— Long Beach City College California 23 0
— SUNY at Fredonia New York 23 0
— University of Montevallo Alabama 22 0
— University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Wisconsin 22 0
— Bakersfield College California 21 0

Purple: international students are 25% or more of the school's graduates.

Related jobs and pay

OccupationUS employmentMean hourly wageMean annual wage
Producers and Directors 143,120 $54.47 $113,300
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 93,560 — $94,700
Actors 55,000 $58.29 —
Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other 16,550 $30.70 —

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.

Graduate counts: IPEDS Completions, US Department of Education, 2002–2025. Rankings: 2027 U.S. News.