Career Overview
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.
Also Known As
- Art Professor
- Music Professor
- Professor
- Theater Professor
Alternate Job Titles
- Adjunct Art Instructor
- Adjunct College Instructor
- Adjunct Graphic Design Instructor
- Adjunct Instructor
- Adjunct Lecturer
- Adjunct Music Instructor
- Adjunct Music Professor
- Adjunct Professor
- Art Educator
- Art History Professor
- Art Instructor
- Art Professor
- Artist Instructor
- Arts and Crafts Instructor
- Arts Teacher
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- 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.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Direct theater productions.
- Mentor students.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Fine Arts
- Education and Training
- English Language
- Communications and Media
Essential Skills
Success in this career requires strong skills in:
- Speaking
- Instructing
- Learning Strategies
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
- Writing
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Social Perceptiveness
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Oral Expression
- Written Comprehension
- Written Expression
- Oral Comprehension
- Speech Clarity
- Originality
- Speech Recognition
- Near Vision
- Inductive Reasoning
- Deductive Reasoning
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Innovation
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Empathy
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Relationships
- Independence
- Working Conditions
- Achievement
- Recognition
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Master's Degree
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
On-the-Job Training: None or short demonstration
Education Details: Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Experience Required: Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Adobe Acrobat
- Adobe After Effects
- Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Adobe Illustrator
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Cascading style sheets CSS
- Google Docs
- Hypertext markup language HTML
- JavaScript
Tools & Equipment
- Analog to digital audio converters
- Artists' paint brushes
- Audio recording equipment
- Band saws
- Beading tools
- Belt sanders
- Book presses
- Burnout kilns
- Carousel slide projectors
- Clay firing kilns
- Commercial sewing machines
- Compact digital cameras
- Compact disk CD players
- Computer data input scanners
- Computer inkjet printers
Work Environment
- Contact With Others
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Salary & Job Market
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $47,040 |
| Median | $80,190 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $194,530 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 97,890
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.