Degree to Occupation Map
Occupations related to a theatre and drama degree
NCES and BLS publish a crosswalk relating instructional programs to occupations. This page lists every occupation that crosswalk relates to theatre and drama, with the BLS typical entry education, 2025 median wage and projected growth for each, and links to the RoleSprint page covering the role where one exists.
What occupations does the official crosswalk relate to a theatre and drama degree?
The CIP 2020-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk published by NCES and BLS relates 11 CIP 2020 programs in theatre and drama to 11 occupations. That maps a field of study to lines of work; it is not a statement that a theatre and drama degree qualifies someone for any of them, and the crosswalk carries no figure for how many graduates enter each. Across the 8 with a published 2025 BLS wage the median is $76,075, ranging from $50,400 for Costume Attendants to $90,360 for Producers and Directors. BLS typical entry-level education splits 2 at no formal educational credential, 2 at high school diploma or equivalent, 1 at some college, no degree, 5 at bachelor's degree, 1 at master's degree: 10 at or below a bachelor's degree and 1 above it. Costume Attendants is projected to grow fastest at +5.9% over 2025-35. The highest-paid are Producers and Directors ($90,360), Fashion Designers ($80,960) and Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary ($78,620).
- Related occupations
- 11, from 11 CIP 2020 programs in theatre and drama (a further 1 related occupation has no BLS or O*NET row on this site and are not listed)
- What the mapping means
- NCES states only that it "crosswalks 2020 CIP Codes to 2018 SOC Codes". It relates a program to an occupation. It does not establish qualification, hiring, or how many graduates take that path.
- BLS typical entry-level education
- No formal educational credential: 2; High school diploma or equivalent: 2; Some college, no degree: 1; Bachelor's degree: 5; Master's degree: 1
- Median wage across these occupations
- $76,075 (2025); 8 of 11 have a published BLS wage
- Next step
- 1 of the 11 occupations have a dedicated RoleSprint page covering what the role requires and how the work is performed.
Source and method
2020 CIP / 2018 SOC Crosswalk, National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics, and BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Verified 2026-09-06. Program-to-occupation relationships are reproduced from the NCES/BLS crosswalk exactly as published; RoleSprint groups CIP programs into the field of study a person would search for and lists the union of their related occupations, showing every member CIP code. Wage, typical entry education and outlook are reproduced from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 for the matching SOC code. Working-condition figures are O*NET 30.3 means. No relationship strength, employment share or qualification judgement is published, because no source supplies one.
What this list is, and what it is not
The crosswalk's own description of itself is one sentence: “This file crosswalks 2020 CIP Codes to 2018 SOC Codes in ascending order by CIP Code.” It relates a field of study to lines of work.
It does not say a theatre and drama degree qualifies anyone for these occupations, that graduates usually enter them, or what share do: the crosswalk publishes no such figure. The wage and education columns come from a separate source, BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, and describe the occupation rather than the degree. Typical entry education is what BLS observes most often among people already doing the work; it is not a rule about who may be hired.
The 11 related occupations
Ordered by BLS median wage, highest first. 8 of 11 have a published wage.
| Occupation | BLS typical entry-level education | Median wage | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
Producers and Directors SOC 27-2012 Contact with others 4.8 · Time pressure 4.4 · Sitting 4.1 · Outdoors, all weather 1.7 of 5 | Bachelor's degree At or below bachelor's | $90,360 2025 median | +4% 2025-35 · 12.1 openings/yr |
Fashion Designers SOC 27-1022 Contact with others 4.0 · Time pressure 4.1 · Sitting 4.0 · Outdoors, all weather 1.6 of 5 | Bachelor's degree At or below bachelor's | $80,960 2025 median | +0.1% 2025-35 · 2.5 openings/yr |
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary SOC 25-1121 Contact with others 4.7 · Time pressure 3.4 · Sitting 2.9 · Outdoors, all weather 1.3 of 5 | Master's degree Above bachelor's | $78,620 2025 median | +2.2% 2025-35 · 8 openings/yr |
Writers and Authors SOC 27-3043 Contact with others 4.9 · Time pressure 4.7 · Sitting 4.4 · Outdoors, all weather 2.2 of 5 | Bachelor's degree At or below bachelor's | $76,910 2025 median | -0.3% 2025-35 · 11.9 openings/yr |
Set and Exhibit Designers SOC 27-1027 Contact with others 4.0 · Time pressure 4.2 · Sitting 3.7 · Outdoors, all weather 2.0 of 5 | Bachelor's degree At or below bachelor's | $75,240 2025 median | +1.4% 2025-35 · 2.2 openings/yr |
Music Directors and Composers SOC 27-2041 Contact with others 4.2 · Time pressure 3.9 · Sitting 3.4 · Outdoors, all weather 1.5 of 5 | Bachelor's degree At or below bachelor's | $73,710 2025 median | +1.2% 2025-35 · 4.2 openings/yr |
Choreographers SOC 27-2032 Contact with others 4.7 · Time pressure 3.9 · Sitting 1.7 · Outdoors, all weather 1.8 of 5 | High school diploma or equivalent At or below bachelor's | $55,310 2025 median | +3.1% 2025-35 · 0.6 openings/yr |
Costume Attendants SOC 39-3092 Contact with others 4.5 · Time pressure 4.2 · Sitting 3.0 · Outdoors, all weather 1.5 of 5 | High school diploma or equivalent At or below bachelor's | $50,400 2025 median | +5.9% 2025-35 · 1.7 openings/yr |
Actors SOC 27-2011 Contact with others 4.7 · Time pressure 4.6 · Sitting 2.2 · Outdoors, all weather 1.8 of 5 | Some college, no degree At or below bachelor's | Not published | 0% 2025-35 · 6.3 openings/yr |
Dancers SOC 27-2031 Contact with others 4.8 · Time pressure 2.9 · Sitting 2.3 · Outdoors, all weather 1.7 of 5 | No formal educational credential At or below bachelor's | Not published | +2.2% 2025-35 · 1.6 openings/yr |
Musicians and Singers SOC 27-2042 Contact with others 4.2 · Time pressure 3.8 · Sitting 4.1 · Outdoors, all weather 1.4 of 5 | No formal educational credential At or below bachelor's | Not published | +0.3% 2025-35 · 17.4 openings/yr |
The crosswalk relates 1 further occupation to this field (27-2099) for which BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 publishes no line item on this site. They are counted here rather than listed, because there would be nothing to show beside the name.
BLS typical entry-level education for these occupations
10 of the 11 have a BLS typical entry-level education at or below a bachelor's degree; 1 are above it. "Typical" is BLS's word: it describes the workers already in the occupation.
- No formal educational credential
- 2
- High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
- Some college, no degree
- 1
- Bachelor's degree
- 5
- Master's degree
- 1
This is BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2's description of the education most workers in each occupation typically hold when they enter it. It is not a list of requirements, and it says nothing about licences, certifications or experience, which BLS records separately and this page does not show.
Which programs this covers
“Theatre and drama” groups 11 CIP 2020 instructional programs. The occupation list above is the union of everything the crosswalk relates to them.
- 50.0501 Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- 50.0502 Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology
- 50.0504 Playwriting and Screenwriting
- 50.0505 Theatre Literature, History and Criticism
- 50.0506 Acting
- 50.0507 Directing and Theatrical Production
- 50.0509 Musical Theatre
- 50.0510 Costume Design
- 50.0511 Comedy Writing and Performance
- 50.0512 Theatre and Dance
- 50.0599 Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
Grouping is RoleSprint's, and it is printed here so it can be checked. CIP's own grain is finer than the phrase anyone searches; the alternative is one page per code, which would put near-identical lists in front of the same question. How this map is built.
Working out which of these is realistic
A related occupation is a starting point, not a verdict. Three different questions decide whether one is worth pursuing, and each has its own page.
Program-to-occupation relationships from the 2020 CIP / 2018 SOC Crosswalk, National Center for Education Statistics and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Wage, typical entry education and outlook from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Working-condition figures from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license; O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA and RoleSprint has modified some of this information.
What to do next
A crosswalk relates a field of study to lines of work. Whether one specific opening is worth your time depends on what you can actually show, which is a different question and the one RoleSprint answers.