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Artistic director education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an artistic director. Artistic directors usually study theatre, music, or fine arts. 68% of artistic directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 3,012 real artistic director resumes to see exactly what artistic director education sections show.
The most common colleges for artistic directors are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online artistic director courses to help get the education required to be an artistic director.
What education do you need to become an artistic director?
What degree do you need to be an artistic director?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 6%
- High School Diploma, 3%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become an artistic director?
Most common colleges for artistic directors
| Artistic director common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 16.14% |
| Northwestern University | 6.32% |
| Arizona State University | 6.32% |
| Florida State University | 5.96% |
| The New School | 5.26% |
Best majors for artistic directors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theatre | 20.9% |
| 2 | Music | 14.3% |
| 3 | Fine Arts | 9.4% |
| 4 | Dance | 9.1% |
| 5 | General Education, Specific Areas | 5.0% |
Best colleges for artistic directors
The best colleges for artistic directors are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Harvard University.
An artistic director with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for artistic directors. 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 artistic directors.
1. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
6. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
7. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
8. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
20 best online courses for artistic directors
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Top 10 most affordable universities for artistic directors
The most affordable schools for artistic directors are University of Florida, california state university - long beach, and lehman college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for artistic directors 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 artistic directors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
3. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. 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
10. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for artistic directors
The hardest universities for artistic directors to get into are Northwestern University, Duke University, and Harvard University.
Some great schools for artistic directors 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 artistic directors 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. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
6. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
9. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
10. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for artistic directors
The easiest schools for artistic directors to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an artistic director 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 artistic directors.
1. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
4. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
5. Texas Woman's University
Denton, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,059
6. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
9. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
10. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
Average artistic director salary by education level
| Artistic director education level | Artistic director salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $90,486 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $57,781 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $87,945 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,313 |
Artistic director education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025