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Acting teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an acting teacher. Acting teachers usually study theatre, english, or fine arts. 67% of acting teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 690 real acting teacher resumes to see exactly what acting teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for acting teachers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online acting teacher courses to help get the education required to be an acting teacher.
What education do you need to become an acting teacher?
What degree do you need to be an acting teacher?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 22%
- Associate, 4%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an acting teacher?
Most common colleges for acting teachers
| Acting teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 17.98% |
| University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | 6.74% |
| Pennsylvania State University | 5.62% |
| University of Arizona | 5.62% |
| DePaul University | 5.62% |
Best majors for acting teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theatre | 35.6% |
| 2 | English | 9.6% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 5.3% |
| 4 | Education | 5.3% |
| 5 | Psychology | 4.5% |
Best colleges for acting teachers
The best colleges for acting teachers are Brown University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
An acting teacher with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for acting teachers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become acting teachers.
1. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
In-state tuition
$55,466
Enrollment
6,752
2. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
3. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$53,948
Enrollment
17,238
4. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Enrollment
15,645
7. SUNY at Binghamton
Vestal, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,808
Enrollment
13,990
8. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
9. University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$15,887
Enrollment
23,202
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
20 best online courses for acting teachers
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Top 10 most affordable universities for acting teachers
The most affordable schools for acting teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and queens college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for acting teachers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for acting teachers.
1. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
3. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
4. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
5. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,140
Cost of attendance
14,430
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. California State University - Dominguez Hills
Carson, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,942
Cost of attendance
14,469
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for acting teachers
The hardest universities for acting teachers to get into are Brown University, Northwestern University, and Vanderbilt University.
Some great schools for acting teachers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for acting teachers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Brown University
Providence, RI • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
4. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
10. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for acting teachers
The easiest schools for acting teachers to get into are Wayland Baptist University, holy names university, and barry university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an acting teacher without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for acting teachers.
1. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
2. Holy Names University
Oakland, CA • Private
Admissions rate
70%
SAT average
849
3. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
4. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
5. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
6. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
7. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
8. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
9. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
10. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
Average acting teacher salary by education level
| Acting teacher education level | Acting teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $58,192 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $49,058 |
| Doctorate Degree | $57,790 |
Acting teacher education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common education, training, and library questions.
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025