Creative & Media
Choreographers
Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines. May direct and stage presentations.
Median salary (BLS)
$55,310
10th–90th percentile (BLS)
$34k – $139k
Job outlook
+6% (faster than average)
AI exposure
Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $91,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.
Plan a path to Choreographers
Education
Typical entry: Associate degree
Plan my path to this →Typical progression
Junior Choreographers
Entry / Junior
$34,090
~2 yrs to advance
Choreographers
Established
$55,310
~3 yrs to advance
Senior Choreographers
Senior
$96,970
Key skills
A typical day
- •Direct rehearsals to instruct dancers in dance steps and in techniques to achieve desired effects.
- •Advise dancers on standing and moving properly, teaching correct dance techniques to help prevent injuries.
- •Teach students, dancers, and other performers about rhythm and interpretive movement.
- •Record dance movements and their technical aspects, using a technical understanding of the patterns and formations of choreography.
- •Direct and stage dance presentations for various forms of entertainment.
Fields of study
Any field
Top colleges for Creative & Media
Explore all- University of Southern California12% admit · $86,000 grad pay
- New York University12% admit · $84,000 grad pay
- Northwestern University7% admit · $95,000 grad pay
- University of Chicago5% admit · $91,000 grad pay
Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.