Best Choreographer programs in New York, ranked by enrollment
Create new dance routines. Rehearse performance of routines.
34 schools in New York run programs that feed this job, graduating 813 people a year. The job pays a median of $173,100 in New York across about 340 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in New York that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in New York that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in New York (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 New York page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0509In New York → | 393 | 48.3% | 14 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0301In New York → | 380 | 46.7% | 27 | $21,877 | $25,000 |
| 3 | CIP 50.0399In New York → | 36 | 4.4% | 2 | $21,877 | $25,000 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0302In New York → | 4 | 0.5% | 1 | $21,877 | $25,000 |
Top 25 schools in New York
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 16 of the 34 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 172 | Musical Theatre | $17,382 | 72% | $40,932 | 24% |
| 2 | Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 87 | Musical Theatre | $19,562 | 49% | $34,258 | 83% |
| 3 | New York University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 65 | Dance, General | — | 88% | $29,023 | 9% |
| 4 | SUNY at Purchase College Purchase, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 61 | Dance, General | $12,039 | 63% | — | 74% |
| 5 | Pace University New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 57 | Dance, General | $19,614 | 60% | $29,994 | 76% |
| 6 | The Ailey School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 42 | Dance, General | $13,598 | 84% | $29,991 | 32% |
| 7 | The New School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 38 | Musical Theatre | $17,113 | 69% | $54,185 | 63% |
| 8 | Fordham University Bronx, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 29 | Dance, General | $20,381 | 82% | $38,931 | 59% |
| 9 | Syracuse University Syracuse, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 28 | Musical Theatre | $20,988 | 84% | $28,851 | 46% |
| 10 | Manhattan School of Music New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 23 | Musical Theatre | $29,400 | 78% | $53,742 | 41% |
| 11 | The Juilliard School New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Dance, General | $14,220 | 93% | $29,763 | 9% |
| 12 | Ithaca College Ithaca, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Musical Theatre | $18,243 | 76% | $28,970 | 69% |
| 13 | University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Dance, General | $17,110 | 75% | — | 74% |
| 14 | SUNY at Fredonia Fredonia, NY Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Musical Theatre | $20,453 | 50% | — | 78% |
| 15 | Manhattanville University Purchase, NY Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 15 | Musical Theatre | — | 58% | $23,949 | 87% |
| 16 | CUNY Hunter College New York, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Dance, General | — | 57% | — | 54% |
| 17 | SUNY Brockport Brockport, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 14 | Dance, General | — | 55% | — | 71% |
| 18 | Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Dance, General | — | 83% | $25,238 | 21% |
| 19 | Hofstra University Hempstead, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Dance, General | — | 69% | $34,539 | 68% |
| 20 | Adelphi University Garden City, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Dance, General | — | 67% | $27,326 | 66% |
| 21 | CUNY Lehman College Bronx, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 8 | Dance, General | $27,843 | 51% | — | 57% |
| 22 | CUNY Queensborough Community College Bayside, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Dance, General | — | 24% | — | — |
| 23 | State University of New York at Cortland Cortland, NY Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Musical Theatre | — | 68% | — | 60% |
| 24 | University of Rochester Rochester, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Dance, General | — | 85% | $25,874 | 40% |
| 25 | Barnard College New York, NY Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Dance, General | — | 93% | $24,675 | 9% |
All 34 schools in New York
Every school in New York 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Musical and Dramatic Academy | New York | Private not-for-profit | 172 | 2 |
| Marymount Manhattan College | New York | Private not-for-profit | 87 | 4 |
| New York University | New York | Private not-for-profit | 65 | 1 |
| SUNY at Purchase College | Purchase | Public | 61 | 2 |
| Pace University | New York | Private not-for-profit | 57 | 2 |
| The Ailey School | New York | Private not-for-profit | 42 | 1 |
| The New School | New York | Private not-for-profit | 38 | 2 |
| Fordham University | Bronx | Private not-for-profit | 29 | 1 |
| Syracuse University | Syracuse | Private not-for-profit | 28 | 1 |
| Manhattan School of Music | New York | Private not-for-profit | 23 | 1 |
| The Juilliard School | New York | Private not-for-profit | 22 | 1 |
| Ithaca College | Ithaca | Private not-for-profit | 21 | 1 |
| University at Buffalo | Buffalo | Public | 20 | 2 |
| SUNY at Fredonia | Fredonia | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Manhattanville University | Purchase | Private not-for-profit | 15 | 2 |
What choreographers earn in New York
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,310. New York pays above the national figure.
Concentrated here: New York employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in New York
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 Choreographers page.
How to become a Choreographer
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience needed
- 5 years or more
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in New York
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Choreographers5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 50.0301Dance, General
- 50.0302Ballet
- 50.0399Dance, Other
- 50.0509Musical Theatre
- 50.0512Theatre and Dance
Common questions
Answers for people weighing choreographers programs in New York.
What degree do you need to become a Choreographer?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Musical Theatre, which awarded 393 degrees in New York in 2024-25, 48.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Choreographer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Dance, Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. Together they graduate about 813 people a year in New York.
How much do choreographers earn in New York?+
The median is $173,100 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 213.0% above the U.S. median of $55,310. 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 choreographers growing?+
BLS projects a +6.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 700 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in New York?+
34 institutions in New York 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 choreographers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Dance Maker, Choreographer, Dance Director, Opera Choreographer among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 27-2032.
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
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