Careers / Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary

Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary — Career Decision Dashboard

United States

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Median annual wage

$78,620

United States, 2025

Employment

93,560

United States, 2025

Typical education

Master's Degree

Job Zone 5

Skills identified

35

10 related careers

Career overview

Teach courses in drama, music, and the arts including fine and applied art, such as painting and sculpture, or design and crafts. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

O*NET code
25-1121.00
Job zone
5
Experience required
Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

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.

Choose a location

Salary analysis — United States

$47,570
10th
$61,620
25th
$78,620
Median
$103,850
75th
$163,350
90th

10th percentile

$47,570

25th percentile

$61,620

75th percentile

$103,850

90th percentile

$163,350

Most important skills

  • Speaking4.6
  • Instructing4.4
  • Learning Strategies4.1
  • Active Learning4.0
  • Active Listening4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Writing3.9
  • Monitoring3.8
  • Social Perceptiveness3.6
  • Time Management3.6
  • Critical Thinking3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.4

What skills do you need?

Select the skills you already have

Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.

Skill coverage

0%

0 of 15 identified skills

Matched

0

Missing

15

Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.

Skills to develop

SkillImportanceRequired levelYour levelGap
Speaking4.64.8Not selected4.8
Instructing4.44.8Not selected4.8
Reading Comprehension4.04.6Not selected4.6
Learning Strategies4.14.3Not selected4.3
Active Learning4.04.3Not selected4.3
Active Listening4.04.1Not selected4.1
Writing3.94.1Not selected4.1
Monitoring3.83.9Not selected3.9
Critical Thinking3.63.9Not selected3.9
Social Perceptiveness3.63.8Not selected3.8
Time Management3.63.8Not selected3.8
Judgment and Decision Making3.33.6Not selected3.6
Complex Problem Solving3.43.4Not selected3.4
Coordination3.13.1Not selected3.1
Systems Analysis3.03.0Not selected3.0

Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.

Related careers

How salary varies by location

LocationMedianEmploymentYear
Riverside, CA$163,7505602025
Fresno, CA$135,9701702025
Visalia, CA$128,910402025
San Francisco, CA$127,8001,0502025
Sacramento, CA$124,6803702025
Trenton, NJ$104,9102025
Charlottesville, VA$104,5702002025
DE$103,3201502025
Ithaca, NY$102,9106702025
Eugene, OR$101,2702025
San Diego, CA$101,0107702025
New York, NY$100,95013,0802025
Pittsfield, MA$100,4902025
CA$99,4109,8202025
NY$98,85014,9202025
Lincoln, NE$98,8001302025
VT$97,9801802025
RI$97,5804402025
DC$96,9003502025
Boston, MA$96,1703,8202025
All locations with published data

Career transition paths

Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.

Build a transition comparison

Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0.

Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).

Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.