Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary Job Outlook
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers to grow 2.2% from 2025 to 2035 (about 2,600 more jobs), with about 8,000 openings a year, and the May 2025 median pay of $78,620 a year ranks 235th of 825 occupations.
- Projected change
- +2.2%
- Openings a year
- 8,000
- Median pay
- $78,620
- Pay rank
- 235th of 825
Is employment of postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers growing or shrinking?
Growing: BLS projects employment of postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers to rise 2.2% (about 2,600 more jobs) from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% projected across all occupations. That is faster than the +1.4% summed from BLS's employment levels across the 64 educational instruction and library occupations with a projection. That change ranks 467th of 830 projected occupations.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 116,900 |
| Employment, 2035 | 119,500 |
| Projected change | +2.2% |
| Openings a year | 8,000 |
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035. A projection is a BLS estimate, not a count. The 116,900 jobs here differ from the 93,560 on the salary page because Employment Projections also counts the self-employed and a wider set of workers, while OEWS counts wage and salary jobs in May 2025. BLS published these projections on August 27, 2026; checked November 10, 2026. Confirm any figure in the BLS Employment Projections tables.
BLS's reasons for this projection are at the Occupational Outlook Handbook. State projections are at Projections Central; projections by industry are left to BLS. Education, licensing and work context at O*NET.
How many job openings are there each year?
About 8,000 openings a year, from job growth and from workers leaving the occupation, the 300th most of 830 occupations. About 97% of them replace workers who change occupations or leave the labor force; the rest come from the 260 jobs added in an average year.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
How does pay for postsecondary art, drama, and music teachers rank?
The median of $78,620 a year ranks 235th of 825 occupations with a published median. It sits in the upper half of occupations on both pay and openings.
Source: BLS OEWS national file, May 2025. Wage and salary jobs only; the self-employed are not counted. OEWS pay excludes overtime, shift differentials and non-production bonuses. Ranks count only the occupations with that published figure: 830 for projected change, 830 for openings, 825 for median pay, which is why the totals differ.
What does it take to start?
- Typical entry-level education: master's degree.
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, education and training assignments.
How do related jobs compare on outlook?
| Occupation | Change | Openings a year | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-Enrichment Teachers | +3.5% | 50,000 | $46,800 |
| English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary | 0% | 4,500 | $78,760 |
| Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | +2.7% | 25,700 | $42,910 |
| Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.7% | 1,000 | $85,020 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.6% | 700 | $96,870 |
| Communications Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.1% | 2,400 | $78,580 |
| Instructional Coordinators | +1.6% | 23,100 | $77,440 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | +2.5% | 5,300 | $75,350 |
Related occupations from O*NET; projections from BLS Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035; pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.