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Dance: Program Overview, Universities, Careers & Salaries

Program Overview

Dance is a dynamic and expressive discipline that equips students with the technical mastery and creative insight needed to interpret and communicate complex ideas, emotions, and cultural narratives through movement. This comprehensive program emphasizes both performance excellence and critical understanding, positioning dance as a vital art form within global cultural contexts.

  • Technique: Develops physical precision, strength, and control across multiple dance styles, including ballet, modern, jazz, ethnic, and folk traditions, fostering a versatile and disciplined movement vocabulary.
  • Choreography: Explores the process of creating original dance works, emphasizing structure, intent, and the use of space, time, and dynamics to convey artistic vision.
  • Laban Notation: Introduces a systematic method for recording and analyzing movement, enabling detailed documentation and scholarly study of dance sequences and performances.
  • Dance History and Criticism: Investigates the evolution of dance across cultures and historical periods, alongside critical frameworks for evaluating artistic merit, cultural significance, and performance impact.
  • Dance Production: Covers the practical and artistic aspects of bringing dance performances to life, including lighting, costume design, stage management, and multimedia integration.

Dance Graduate Trends (2010-2024)

3,076
Total Graduates (2023-2024)
303
Universities & Colleges
3
Career Pathways
Career & Salary Outlook Schools Offering This Program Related Programs

Dance Career Pathways & Salary Outlook

The following table presents salary data for occupations typically aligned with Dance degrees, including Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary, Choreographers and Dancers. These career paths represent common employment outcomes but are not guaranteed for all graduates. Salary ranges vary by location, employer, experience level, and specific role requirements. Nationally, these occupations employ approximately 110,380 professionals.

National Average Salaries

Occupation Median Salary Salary Range Total Employment Hourly Rate
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary 25-1121 $80,190 $47,040 - $194,530 97,890 N/A
Choreographers 27-2032 $55,600 $33,080 - $94,090 3,430 $26.73
Dancers 27-2031 N/A N/A 9,060 $23.97

Salary Comparison

Dance Salary Map by State

Geographic location significantly impacts earning potential for these careers. Average salaries range from $46,350 in Kansas to $129,330 in Hawaii—a 179% difference. The highest-paying states include Hawaii, New York, and New Jersey. Nationwide, these occupations employ over 110,380 professionals across all states. Explore the interactive map below to compare regional compensation and identify optimal markets for your career goals.

Average Salary Range:

Top Universities for Dance by Graduate Enrollment

Below are the top 99 institutions offering Dance programs for the 2023-2024 academic year (the most recent data reported as of 2025), ranked by the number of graduates. The highest graduate enrollment in Dance is found at New York University (NYU) (73 graduates), Point Park University (63 graduates), Ohio State University, Main Campus (47 graduates), University of California (UCI), Irvine (45 graduates), and Oklahoma City University (OCU) (44 graduates). Combined, these colleges produced 2,187 graduates across all degree levels. Program availability varies by award level, including Associate, Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral degrees at participating universities and schools.

College Name Award Levels Graduates Admissions Location Control Website
New York University (NYU)
Bachelor's
Master's
Post-Master's
 73 SAT: 1480-1570
ACT: 33-35 		New York, New York Private nyu.edu
Point Park University
Bachelor's
 63 SAT: 1035-1240
ACT: 19-27 		Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Private pointpark.edu
Ohio State University
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
 47 SAT: 1330-1480
ACT: 29-32 		Columbus, Ohio Public osu.edu
University of California (UCI)
Bachelor's
Master's
 45 N/A Irvine, California Public uci.edu
Oklahoma City University (OCU)
Bachelor's
 44 ACT: 20-26 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Private okcu.edu
University of Arizona
Bachelor's
Master's
 43 SAT: 1160-1420
ACT: 21-30 		Tucson, Arizona Public arizona.edu
The Ailey School
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Certificate (≥2 yrs)
 42 N/A New York, New York Private theaileyschool.edu
Montclair State University
Bachelor's
Master's
 41 SAT: 940-1225 Montclair, New Jersey Public montclair.edu
Texas State University (TXST)
Bachelor's
 41 SAT: 980-1190
ACT: 19-26 		San Marcos, Texas Public txst.edu
SUNY
Bachelor's
 40 SAT: 1178-1363
ACT: 27-32 		Purchase, New York Public purchase.edu
The University of Alabama (UA)
Bachelor's
Master's
 39 SAT: 1170-1400
ACT: 24-31 		Tuscaloosa, Alabama Public ua.edu
Fordham University
Bachelor's
 37 SAT: 1330-1490
ACT: 30-33 		Bronx, New York Private fordham.edu
California State University (CSULB)
Bachelor's
 36 N/A Long Beach, California Public csulb.edu
Chapman University
Bachelor's
 35 SAT: 1250-1430
ACT: 28-32 		Orange, California Private chapman.edu
Sam Houston State University (SHSU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 35 SAT: 940-1140
ACT: 19-25 		Huntsville, Texas Public shsu.edu
University of Florida (UF)
Bachelor's
Other Award
 34 SAT: 1300-1480
ACT: 28-33 		Gainesville, Florida Public ufl.edu
Rutgers University
Bachelor's
 34 SAT: 1270-1480
ACT: 28-33 		New Brunswick, New Jersey Public newbrunswick.rutgers.edu
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania (SRU)
Bachelor's
 34 SAT: 980-1190
ACT: 19-25 		Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania Public sru.edu
Utah Valley University (UVU)
Associate's
Bachelor's
 32 N/A Orem, Utah Public uvu.edu
Dean College
Associate's
Bachelor's
 30 N/A Franklin, Massachusetts Private dean.edu
Brigham Young University (BYU)
Bachelor's
 30 SAT: 1290-1450
ACT: 28-32 		Provo, Utah Private byu.edu
Pace University
Bachelor's
 29 SAT: 1130-1328
ACT: 24-29 		New York, New York Private pace.edu
Berklee College of Music
Bachelor's
 28 N/A Boston, Massachusetts Private berklee.edu
University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA)
Bachelor's
 27 SAT: 1150-1350
ACT: 24-27 		Winston Salem, North Carolina Public uncsa.edu
Texas Woman's University (TWU)
Bachelor's
Master's
Doctorate (R)
 27 N/A Denton, Texas Public twu.edu
Florida State University (FSU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 26 SAT: 1240-1390
ACT: 27-31 		Tallahassee, Florida Public fsu.edu
Kennesaw State University (KSU)
Bachelor's
 25 SAT: 1020-1220
ACT: 19-25 		Kennesaw, Georgia Public kennesaw.edu
University of California (UCSB)
Bachelor's
 24 N/A Santa Barbara, California Public ucsb.edu
Arizona State University Campus Immersion (ASU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 23 N/A Tempe, Arizona Public asu.edu
Marymount Manhattan College (MMC)
Bachelor's
 23 SAT: 1100-1300
ACT: 25-29 		New York, New York Private mmm.edu
University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG)
Bachelor's
Master's
 23 SAT: 1100-1280
ACT: 22-27 		Greensboro, North Carolina Public uncg.edu
University of Southern California (USC)
Bachelor's
 22 SAT: 1440-1550
ACT: 32-35 		Los Angeles, California Private usc.edu
University of Iowa
Bachelor's
Master's
 22 SAT: 1130-1320
ACT: 22-28 		Iowa City, Iowa Public uiowa.edu
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
Bachelor's
Master's
 21 N/A Valencia, California Private calarts.edu
University of Maryland (UMCP)
Bachelor's
Master's
 21 SAT: 1370-1520
ACT: 32-35 		College Park, Maryland Public umd.edu
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Bachelor's
 21 SAT: 1110-1320
ACT: 21-27 		Charlotte, North Carolina Public charlotte.edu
Columbia College Chicago (CCC)
Bachelor's
 20 N/A Chicago, Illinois Private colum.edu
The Juilliard School
Bachelor's
 20 N/A New York, New York Private juilliard.edu
Muhlenberg College
Bachelor's
 20 SAT: 1230-1400
ACT: 28-31 		Allentown, Pennsylvania Private muhlenberg.edu
The University of Texas
Bachelor's
 20 SAT: 1230-1490
ACT: 27-33 		Austin, Texas Public utexas.edu
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Bachelor's
Other Award
 20 SAT: 1360-1510
ACT: 28-32 		Madison, Wisconsin Public wisc.edu
East Carolina University (ECU)
Bachelor's
 19 SAT: 1050-1200
ACT: 20-26 		Greenville, North Carolina Public ecu.edu
University of Oklahoma (OU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 19 SAT: 1140-1330
ACT: 23-29 		Norman, Oklahoma Public ou.edu
West Virginia University (WVU)
Bachelor's
 19 SAT: 1010-1240
ACT: 20-26 		Morgantown, West Virginia Public wvu.edu
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM)
Bachelor's
Master's
 19 ACT: 18-24 Milwaukee, Wisconsin Public uwm.edu
University of California (UCLA)
Bachelor's
Master's
 18 N/A Los Angeles, California Public ucla.edu
Saint Mary's College of California
Bachelor's
Master's
 18 N/A Moraga, California Private stmarys-ca.edu
Jacksonville University (JU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 18 SAT: 1110-1260
ACT: 24-28 		Jacksonville, Florida Private ju.edu
Towson University (TU)
Bachelor's
 18 SAT: 1050-1270
ACT: 19-28 		Towson, Maryland Public towson.edu
University of Utah (U of U)
Bachelor's
Postbac Cert.
Master's
 18 SAT: 1180-1398
ACT: 22-29 		Salt Lake City, Utah Public utah.edu
University of South Florida (USF)
Bachelor's
 17 SAT: 1140-1330
ACT: 24-29 		Tampa, Florida Public usf.edu
University of Nevada (UNLV)
Bachelor's
 17 SAT: 980-1230
ACT: 18-24 		Las Vegas, Nevada Public unlv.edu
SUNY Brockport
Bachelor's
Master's
 17 SAT: 1070-1240
ACT: 18-26 		Brockport, New York Public brockport.edu
Elon University
Bachelor's
 17 SAT: 1143-1305
ACT: 23-28 		Elon, North Carolina Private elon.edu
George Mason University
Bachelor's
 17 SAT: 1140-1340
ACT: 25-30 		Fairfax, Virginia Public www2.gmu.edu
California State University (CSUF)
Bachelor's
 16 N/A Fullerton, California Public fullerton.edu
Indiana University (IUB)
Bachelor's
 16 SAT: 1170-1400
ACT: 27-32 		Bloomington, Indiana Public indiana.edu
Wayne State University (WSU)
Bachelor's
 16 SAT: 1040-1260
ACT: 21-28 		Detroit, Michigan Public wayne.edu
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU)
Bachelor's
 16 SAT: 1030-1270
ACT: 22-30 		Richmond, Virginia Public vcu.edu
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Bachelor's
Master's
 15 SAT: 1270-1510
ACT: 29-34 		Champaign, Illinois Public illinois.edu
Ball State University (BSU)
Bachelor's
 15 SAT: 1080-1250
ACT: 25-30 		Muncie, Indiana Public bsu.edu
Butler University
Bachelor's
 15 SAT: 1180-1360
ACT: 26-31 		Indianapolis, Indiana Private butler.edu
Lindenwood University
Bachelor's
 15 ACT: 19-24 Saint Charles, Missouri Private lindenwood.edu
Rider University
Bachelor's
 15 SAT: 1100-1310
ACT: 22-29 		Lawrenceville, New Jersey Private rider.edu
Adelphi University
Bachelor's
 15 SAT: 1140-1310
ACT: 24-30 		Garden City, New York Private adelphi.edu
Hofstra University
Bachelor's
 15 SAT: 1210-1380
ACT: 27-31 		Hempstead, New York Private hofstra.edu
Mercyhurst University
Bachelor's
 15 N/A Erie, Pennsylvania Private mercyhurst.edu
Shenandoah University (SU)
Bachelor's
 15 N/A Winchester, Virginia Private su.edu
University of Washington (UW)
Bachelor's
Master's
 15 N/A Seattle, Washington Public washington.edu
University of California (UCR)
Bachelor's
Master's
 14 N/A Riverside, California Public ucr.edu
University of Colorado Boulder (CU)
Bachelor's
Master's
 14 SAT: 1230-1420
ACT: 28-33 		Boulder, Colorado Public colorado.edu
Brigham Young University (BYU–I)
Bachelor's
 14 SAT: 980-1200
ACT: 20-26 		Rexburg, Idaho Private byui.edu
Western Michigan University (WMU)
Bachelor's
 14 SAT: 990-1220
ACT: 20-27 		Kalamazoo, Michigan Public wmich.edu
University of Missouri (UMKC)
Bachelor's
 14 SAT: 1150-1540
ACT: 21-29 		Kansas City, Missouri Public umkc.edu
CUNY Hunter College
Bachelor's
Master's
 14 SAT: 1210-1470 New York, New York Public hunter.cuny.edu
CUNY Lehman College
Bachelor's
 14 SAT: 860-1220 Bronx, New York Public lehman.edu
Ohio University (OHIO)
Bachelor's
Master's
 14 SAT: 1100-1290
ACT: 22-28 		Athens, Ohio Public ohio.edu
Alabama State University (ASU)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 865-1069
ACT: 16-20 		Montgomery, Alabama Public alasu.edu
Scottsdale Community College (SCC)
Certificate (1-2 yrs)
Associate's
 13 N/A Scottsdale, Arizona Public scottsdalecc.edu
Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
Bachelor's
 13 N/A Los Angeles, California Private lmu.edu
University of Georgia (UGA)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1160-1390
ACT: 25-32 		Athens, Georgia Public uga.edu
University of Massachusetts
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1300-1480
ACT: 29-33 		Amherst, Massachusetts Public umass.edu
University of Minnesota (UMN)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1310-1480
ACT: 27-31 		Minneapolis, Minnesota Public twin-cities.umn.edu
New Jersey City University (NJCU)
Bachelor's
 13 N/A Jersey City, New Jersey Public njcu.edu
University at Buffalo (UB)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1210-1380
ACT: 27-32 		Buffalo, New York Public buffalo.edu
Temple University
Bachelor's
Master's
 13 N/A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Public temple.edu
University of South Carolina (USC)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1180-1380
ACT: 26-32 		Columbia, South Carolina Public sc.edu
University of North Texas (UNT)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 980-1230
ACT: 19-27 		Denton, Texas Public unt.edu
Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Bachelor's
 13 SAT: 1320-1480
ACT: 30-34 		Dallas, Texas Private smu.edu
Hollins University
Bachelor's
Master's
 13 SAT: 1100-1330
ACT: 23-29 		Roanoke, Virginia Private hollins.edu
University of California (UCSD)
Bachelor's
 12 N/A La Jolla, California Public ucsd.edu
University of Hawaii (UHM)
Bachelor's
Master's
 12 SAT: 1020-1240
ACT: 20-27 		Honolulu, Hawaii Public manoa.hawaii.edu
Grand Valley State University (GVSU)
Bachelor's
 12 SAT: 940-1190
ACT: 21-28 		Allendale, Michigan Public gvsu.edu
Belhaven University
Bachelor's
 12 ACT: 18-23 Jackson, Mississippi Private belhaven.edu
Skidmore College
Bachelor's
 12 SAT: 1300-1460
ACT: 30-33 		Saratoga Springs, New York Private skidmore.edu
DeSales University
Bachelor's
 12 SAT: 1090-1290
ACT: 24-28 		Center Valley, Pennsylvania Private desales.edu
Cornish College of the Arts
Bachelor's
 12 N/A Seattle, Washington Private cornish.edu
University of Hartford (UHart)
Bachelor's
 11 SAT: 1100-1280
ACT: 25-32 		West Hartford, Connecticut Private hartford.edu
Emory University
Bachelor's
 11 SAT: 1460-1550
ACT: 32-34 		Atlanta, Georgia Private emory.edu

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to the most common questions about Dance programs

How much can I earn with a Dance degree?

Salaries for Dance graduates vary by role and location. Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary earn a median of $80,190 annually, while Choreographers earn around $55,600. Geographic location significantly impacts earnings—professionals in Hawaii average $129,330 compared to $46,350 in Kansas. Approximately 110,380 professionals work in related occupations nationwide.

Salary data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS program, May 2024. Earnings vary by experience, employer, and market conditions.

Which universities have the largest Dance programs?

Currently 303 accredited institutions offer Dance degrees across the U.S. Programs with the highest enrollment include New York University (NYU) (73 graduates), Point Park University (63 graduates), and Ohio State University, Main Campus (47 graduates).

Program size doesn't necessarily indicate quality—consider factors like faculty expertise, production opportunities, location, and available degree levels when choosing a school.

Data based on IPEDS program completions for 2023-2024 academic year. Numbers reflect programs where students graduated.

Is enrollment in Dance growing or declining?

Graduate numbers have increased over the past decade, rising from 2,409 in 2010 to a peak of 3,266 in 2020, before declining slightly to 3,076 in 2023-24. This represents a 28% increase overall from 2010.

The field remains specialized with steady interest, though opportunities are most concentrated in major metropolitan areas with active arts scenes like New York, California, and Illinois.

Graduate enrollment data from IPEDS, 2010-2024 academic years. Trends reflect reported completions at participating institutions.

What career paths are available with a Dance degree?

This degree prepares you for roles such as Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary, Choreographers, and Dancers. Related occupations employ approximately 110,380 professionals nationwide.

Skills in project management, creative leadership, and collaboration also transfer to event planning, arts administration, marketing, and corporate training roles. Many professionals work freelance or on a project basis across theatre, film, and live events.

Career pathways mapped using CIP-SOC crosswalk from the National Center for Education Statistics. Employment data from BLS OEWS May 2024.

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