Dance Therapy

Types of Degrees Dance Therapy Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many dance therapy graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	34

What Dance Therapy Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to dance therapy and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Dance Therapy Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in dance therapy should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
• Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Dance Therapy Majors

When studying dance therapy, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Dance Therapy Majors

Dance Therapy majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

What Can You Do With a Dance Therapy Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with dance therapy:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370
Therapists	19.9%	$50,980

Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Dance Therapy?

This major is dominated by women with about 94% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dance therapy majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	2
Black or African American	4
Hispanic or Latino	6
White	17
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	2

Geographic Diversity

Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Dance Therapy. About 8.8% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Dance Therapy

Some careers associated with dance therapy require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to dance therapy have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	2.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.5%
Master’s Degree	35.9%
Doctoral Degree	24.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	19.1%

Online Dance Therapy Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	0	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	3	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Dance Therapy

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dance therapy.

Major	Number of Grads
Physical Therapy/Therapist	13,762
Occupational Therapy	10,262
Rehabilitation Science	1,239
Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling	947
Therapeutic Recreation/Recreational Therapy	822
Music Therapy	710
Art Therapy	698
Other Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	670
Orthotist/Prosthetist	325
Assistive/Augmentative Technology and Rehabilitation Engineering	156
Animal-Assisted Therapy	109
Kinesiotherapy/Kinesiotherapist	106
Play Therapy	52
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions, General	33
Horticulture Therapy	8
Drama Therapy	0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Barbara E. Carver under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.