Best Actor programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment
Play parts in stage, television, radio, video, or film productions, or other settings for entertainment, information, or instruction.
25 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 545 people a year. The job pays a median of $19.11/hr in Florida across about 6,400 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Florida that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0501In Florida → | 417 | 76.5% | 23 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0599In Florida → | 82 | 15.0% | 2 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0509In Florida → | 33 | 6.1% | 2 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0506In Florida → | 13 | 2.4% | 2 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
Top 25 schools in Florida
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 25 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 104 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,708 | 78% | — | 40% |
| 2 | Full Sail University Winter Park, FL Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 81 | Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other | $20,226 | 44% | $32,163 | — |
| 3 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 80 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $18,431 | 86% | — | 24% |
| 4 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 51 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $16,318 | 91% | — | 24% |
| 5 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 33 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $24,732 | 77% | — | 43% |
| 6 | Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 30 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $18,452 | 63% | — | 66% |
| 7 | The University of Tampa Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 26 | Musical Theatre | $17,196 | 64% | $33,070 | 40% |
| 8 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Acting | $16,561 | 84% | $26,589 | 19% |
| 9 | Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 16 | Musical Theatre | $22,336 | 71% | $28,325 | 64% |
| 10 | University of West Florida Pensacola, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,852 | 59% | — | 58% |
| 11 | Rollins College Winter Park, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 15 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,664 | 75% | $31,438 | 48% |
| 12 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $16,695 | 53% | — | 21% |
| 13 | Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 66% | $31,022 | 76% |
| 14 | Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 57% | — | 63% |
| 15 | Palm Beach Atlantic University West Palm Beach, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 55% | $32,031 | 82% |
| 16 | Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,099 | 56% | $28,070 | 81% |
| 17 | PENSACOLA CHRISTIAN COLLEGE Pensacola, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | — | — | — |
| 18 | Barry University Miami, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 38% | $24,719 | 77% |
| 19 | Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 63% | $31,672 | 73% |
| 20 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $20,113 | 74% | — | 55% |
| 21 | New College of Florida Sarasota, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 67% | — | 73% |
| 22 | Lynn University Boca Raton, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 52% | $38,343 | 73% |
| 23 | Stetson University DeLand, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 62% | $21,948 | 72% |
| 24 | Jacksonville University Jacksonville, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 51% | $25,813 | 57% |
| 25 | Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other | — | 45% | $18,986 | 78% |
All 25 schools in Florida
Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Central Florida | Orlando | Public | 104 | 1 |
| Full Sail University | Winter Park | Private for-profit | 81 | 1 |
| Florida State University | Tallahassee | Public | 80 | 1 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville | Public | 51 | 1 |
| University of South Florida | Tampa | Public | 33 | 1 |
| Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton | Public | 30 | 1 |
| The University of Tampa | Tampa | Private not-for-profit | 26 | 2 |
| University of Miami | Coral Gables | Private not-for-profit | 18 | 2 |
| Florida Southern College | Lakeland | Private not-for-profit | 16 | 3 |
| University of West Florida | Pensacola | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Rollins College | Winter Park | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 1 |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Eckerd College | Saint Petersburg | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Palm Beach Atlantic University | West Palm Beach | Private not-for-profit | 8 | 1 |
What actors earn in Florida
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
BLS publishes an hourly wage only for this occupation. The work is intermittent, so no annual figure is estimated.
Concentrated here: Florida employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Florida, by employment
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Actors page.
How to become a Actor
Job zone 2 of 5 · SVP Below 6.0- Typical entry education
- Some college, no degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Florida
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to Actors7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0501Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- 50.0506Acting
- 50.0507Directing and Theatrical Production
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0511Comedy Writing and Performance
- 50.0512Theatre and Dance
- 50.0599Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing actors programs in Florida.
What degree do you need to become an Actor?+
Some college, no degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General, which awarded 417 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 76.5% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Actor?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Together they graduate about 545 people a year in Florida.
How much do actors earn in Florida?+
The median is $19.11 an hour (BLS OEWS May 2025). This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for actors growing?+
BLS projects a +0.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 6,300 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+
25 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 4 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do actors work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Actor, Actress, Comedian, Performer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2011.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card