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Theater teacher education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a theater teacher. Theater teachers usually study theatre, education, or english. 67% of theater teachers hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 380 real theater teacher resumes to see exactly what theater teacher education sections show.
The most common colleges for theater teachers are the New York University and the New York University.
There are also many online theater teacher courses to help get the education required to be a theater teacher.
What education do you need to become a theater teacher?
What degree do you need to be a theater teacher?
- Bachelor's, 67%
- Master's, 20%
- High School Diploma, 5%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a theater teacher?
Most common colleges for theater teachers
| Theater teacher common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| New York University | 10.00% |
| University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus | 8.00% |
| Rowan University | 6.00% |
| Austin Peay State University | 6.00% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.00% |
Best majors for theater teachers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theatre | 18.1% |
| 2 | Education | 9.8% |
| 3 | English | 8.3% |
| 4 | Music | 7.8% |
| 5 | Communication | 6.7% |
Best colleges for theater teachers
The best colleges for theater teachers are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
A theater 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 theater 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 theater teachers.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
2. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
3. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
4. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
7. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
8. New York University
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$51,828
Enrollment
26,339
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. University of California - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$13,226
Enrollment
31,568
20 best online courses for theater teachers
Advertising disclosure
1. William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night: Comedy, Conflict, and Community
This course introduces and explores William Shakespeare’s classic comedy, Twelfth Night. Interviews with actors who appeared in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival’s 2019 production of Twelfth Night, as well as lectures by scholars and theater professionals who work and teach at the University of Colorado Boulder, offer students insight into Shakespeare’s artistic vision and its applications. Exploring Shakespeare’s language, his characters, his humor and his world view, the lectures, interviews,...
2. Music Education for Teachers
In the Music Education for Teachers specialization, you will explore ways of integrating popular music into your teaching. You'll begin by learning from two highly experienced teachers, Krystal Banfield, the Vice President of Educational Outreach for Berklee College of Music, and David Alexis a Berklee Professor and long-time instructor for the Berklee City Music Program. They will take you through their process of incorporating popular music, improvisation, arranging, and music technology into...
3. 2D Adventure Game Creation: Art, Music, Programming and More
Learn to create a 2D point and click Adventure Game with hand-painted graphics, original music and voice acting!...
4. Building your First VR Experience with Unity
Craft your first VR experience in Unity with a no-frills approach...
5. Communicating with the Public
Rooted in theater, journalism and humanities practices, this course presents tools and techniques that help you improve your public-facing communication skills, particularly when describing your work to a lay audience. Whether it’s a 30-second elevator pitch or speaking to a large organization, “Communicating with the Public” will boost your confidence in any speech-communication scenario...
6. Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life
For a sample of what this course will include, see the video "Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life MOOC with University of Illinois Professor David Ruzic" - http://go.citl.illinois.edu/Energy-MOOC This course teaches you everything you need to know about energy, the environment, and at least a number of things in everyday life. It starts by talking about energy itself and where it comes from. This includes how much we have, who has it, who uses it, and what that all means. The video clips are...
7. Ultimate Ableton Live 9: Part 1 - The Interface & The Basics
Learning Ableton Live the right way: From the basics to the advanced, from Ableton Certified Trainer J. Anthony Allen...
8. MuseScore: Mastering Music Notation Free Software
How to use Musescore - master this free download through musescore tutorials, musescore files, and musescore projects...
9. Virtual Teacher Final Project
The Final Project will be a hands-on, comprehensive project that practitioners of virtual education can implement in their profession. For this final project, learners will draft a design plan for an online learning module utilizing materials learned from the virtual teacher series. Learners will choose the subject matter, method of delivery, tools, instructional strategies, and assessments, with the goal of creating a module of online or blended instruction that meets the needs of their...
10. Educating Deaf Children: Becoming an Empowered Teacher
Many Deaf children around the world still leave school functionally illiterate. In some cases, there is no allowance made for the education of Deaf children at all. This 4-week course provides you with invaluable knowledge and skills about teaching Deaf children. You will learn about the importance of Deaf culture and community, the need for a language-rich environment for the Deaf child from as young as possible, and that having access to sign language can help Deaf children academically,...
11. Audacity: Producing & Recording with Powerful Free Software
Learn how to produce, record, edit, arrange, and master professional quality audio using the free program Audacity...
12. MaxForLive: Creating Your Own Audio Tools in Max For Live
Learning Max For Live: From the basics to the advanced, with Ableton Certified Trainer J. Anthony Allen...
13. Take Lessons from an Actor -Speech & Confidence Training
Be successful in Job interviews, public speaking, committee meetings, employee evaluations, selling and auditions...
14. Implementing Positive Behaviour Management in the Classroom
Practical Strategies to Address Behaviour Issues in any Classroom...
15. Audio Mastering: the complete guide
The step-by-step course about mastering engineering. Learn how to improve the audio quality of your music...
16. Game Music Composition: Make Music For Games From Scratch
Learn to compose music for any and every type of video game, from complete beginner to competent game music composer...
17. The Complete History of Music, COMPLETE: Parts 1, 2, and 3
The origins of Western music taught through examples, conversation, and context...
18. Ultimate Ableton Live 9: Part 4 - Synths & Samplers
Learning Ableton Live the right way: From the basics to the advanced, from Ableton Certified Trainer J. Anthony Allen...
19. TESOL Teacher Training: Second Language Acquisition (SLA)
Putting Theory Into Practice in the ESL/EFL Classroom...
20. Ultimate Ableton Live 9 Complete: Parts 4, 5, & 6
Learning Ableton Live the right way: From the basics to the advanced, from Ableton Certified Trainer J. Anthony Allen...
Top 10 most affordable universities for theater teachers
The most affordable schools for theater teachers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and california state university - long beach.
If the best universities for theater 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 theater 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. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
3. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
5. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
6. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
7. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
8. 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
9. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for theater teachers
The hardest universities for theater teachers to get into are Harvard University, Northwestern University, and University of Pennsylvania.
Some great schools for theater 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 theater 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. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
3. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
4. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
5. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, IN • Private
Admissions rate
18%
SAT average
1,502
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for theater teachers
The easiest schools for theater teachers to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and san francisco state university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a theater 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 theater teachers.
1. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Fresno Pacific University
Fresno, CA • Private
Admissions rate
85%
SAT average
1,053
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,007
8. College of New Rochelle, The
New Rochelle, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
982
9. Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, PA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,019
10. Notre Dame of Maryland University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,069
Average theater teacher salary by education level
| Theater teacher education level | Theater teacher salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $60,166 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $50,243 |
| Doctorate Degree | $60,850 |
Theater teacher education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025