Education & Library
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary
Also called: Art History Professor, Art Instructor, Art Professor, Assistant Professor
US median pay
$78,620
per year, 2025
Job growth 2025–35
+2.2%
about average or slower
Openings a year (US)
8,000
116,900 employed
Typical entry education
Master's degree
Preparation 5/5 · Extensive preparation
What this job is
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.
What they do day to day
- 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.
- Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.
- Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
Skills and knowledge that matter most
Skills
- Instructing4.4/5
- Time Management3.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.4/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.2/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Systems Analysis3.0/5
- Systems Evaluation2.9/5
Knowledge
- Fine Arts4.9/5
- Education and Training4.7/5
- English Language4.3/5
- Communications and Media3.6/5
- Psychology3.4/5
- History and Archeology3.4/5
Importance rated by people working in the job (1 = not important, 5 = extremely important).
Education and preparation
Preparation level 5 of 5 — Extensive preparation. Usually a graduate degree (master's, PhD, MD, JD) and extensive experience.
Typical entry education (BLS): Master's degree.
Highest education of people in this job:
- Master's degree51%
- Doctoral degree32%
- Bachelor's degree14%
Who this job suits
Mostly Social
Helping, teaching and caring for people
Artistic
Creating, designing and self-expression
Investigative
Ideas, research and solving problems
Based on the Holland (RIASEC) interest profile for this occupation.