Visual and Performing Arts
Dance
Prepares you 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. Covers technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
Inside the major
Programs within this field
Colleges may offer this field under 3 more specific program names. The program you choose affects the courses you take.
- Dance, General
- Prepares you 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. Covers technique, choreography, Laban notation, dance history and criticism, and dance production.
- Ballet
- Prepares you to express ideals and feelings through interpretation of classical dance choreography. Covers ballet exercise, solo and ensemble dance, history of ballet, ballet choreography, Laban notation, ballet technique, and interpretations of specific styles and schools.
- Dance, Other
- Dance not listed above.
Also called Dance Movement Studies
Where it can lead
Careers this field can lead to
Explore related careers, starting with the closest connections and the occupations hiring the most people.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
- Median pay
- $78,620
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.2%
- Job openings a year
- 8,000
To get hiredMaster's degree
Explore this career Growing with the economyDancers
- Median pay
- —
- Hiring change through 2035
- 2.2%
- Job openings a year
- 1,600
To get hiredNo formal educational credential
Explore this career Growing with the economyChoreographers
- Median pay
- $55,310
- Hiring change through 2035
- 3.1%
- Job openings a year
- 600
To get hiredHigh school diploma or equivalent
Explore this careerAll work is projected to grow 3.5% between 2025 and 2035; read every hiring-change figure against it. The figures beside each career are the pay of that work, across everyone doing it. Graduates of this field earn $21,801 one year after completing the program, which is the start of a career rather than the shape of one.
Working style
How and where the work happens
Related careers can feel very different from one another. Compare the specific occupations to understand the work each one involves.
This field leads to a mix of in-person and computer-based work. About 22 of every 100 openings require working close to other people or spending time on your feet.
College options
Where to study it
Ordered by how many degrees each college awards in this field. Sort by any numbered column.
| College | Degrees a year | Earnings, first year out | Admit rate | Average annual cost after aid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point Park University PA | 71 | $19,213 | 98% | $22,000 |
| University of Utah UT | 42 | $20,152 | 87% | $14,000 |
| New York University NY | 41 | $21,881 | 9% | $17,000 |
| SUNY at Purchase College NY | 41 | $13,426 | 73% | $20,000 |
| California State University-Long Beach CA | 37 | $21,620 | 47% | $10,000 |
| University of California-Irvine CA | 37 | $22,184 | 26% | $12,000 |
| Berklee College of Music MA | 36 | — | 50% | $48,000 |
| Texas State University TX | 36 | $34,080 | 89% | $14,000 |
| University of Florida FL | 35 | — | 24% | $7,000 |
| Dean College MA | 34 | $21,538 | 74% | $29,000 |
| University of Arizona AZ | 33 | $16,878 | 86% | $16,000 |
| Chapman University CA | 33 | $18,093 | 56% | $34,000 |
| Montclair State University NJ | 33 | $20,947 | 87% | $16,000 |
| The University of Alabama AL | 29 | $19,399 | 76% | $22,000 |
| Fordham University NY | 29 | $26,996 | 56% | $37,000 |
| Brigham Young University UT | 29 | $14,856 | 69% | $13,000 |
| Sam Houston State University TX | 27 | $25,819 | 85% | $16,000 |
| American Musical and Dramatic Academy NY | 25 | — | 25% | $44,000 |
| University of California-Los Angeles CA | 24 | $14,394 | 9% | $10,000 |
| Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ | 24 | $20,229 | 65% | $18,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin TX | 24 | $17,719 | 29% | $17,000 |
| San Jose State University CA | 23 | — | 80% | $12,000 |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro NC | 23 | $17,778 | 90% | $12,000 |
| Ohio State University-Main Campus OH | 22 | $21,123 | 51% | $10,000 |
| Southern Methodist University TX | 22 | — | 61% | $24,000 |
| University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA | 22 | — | 43% | $8,000 |
| The Juilliard School NY | 21 | $27,194 | 9% | — |
| University of South Florida FL | 20 | — | 41% | $9,000 |
| Brigham Young University-Idaho ID | 20 | — | 97% | $6,000 |
| Pace University NY | 20 | $23,543 | 77% | $28,000 |
| University of North Carolina at Charlotte NC | 20 | $26,567 | 80% | $14,000 |
| Kennesaw State University GA | 20 | $18,088 | 69% | $15,000 |
| University of California-Santa Barbara CA | 19 | — | 28% | $13,000 |
| Towson University MD | 19 | $19,803 | 83% | $17,000 |
| Rider University NJ | 19 | $25,861 | 79% | $22,000 |
| University at Buffalo NY | 19 | $19,653 | 69% | $21,000 |
| Texas Christian University TX | 19 | $22,703 | 43% | $18,000 |
| University of Southern California CA | 18 | — | 10% | $20,000 |
| Florida State University FL | 18 | — | 25% | $10,000 |
| Ohio University-Main Campus OH | 18 | — | 85% | $19,000 |