Best programs to become an agent
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management; Sports Communication; and Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management (IPEDS completions).
5 college programs at 236 schools train agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes, graduating 4,759 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $82,890 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes
Represent and promote artists, performers, and athletes in dealings with current or prospective employers. May handle contract negotiation and other business matters for clients.
Best programs to study to become an agent
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 09.0906 | 1,470 | 30.9% | 88 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 2 | CIP 50.1001 | 1,040 | 21.9% | 70 | $28,050 | $25,468 |
| 3 | Fine and Studio Arts Managementmain feeder CIP 50.1002 | 937 | 19.7% | 62 | $28,050 | $25,468 |
| 4 | CIP 52.0202 | 800 | 16.8% | 35 | $43,506 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 50.1099 | 512 | 10.8% | 15 | $28,050 | $25,468 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | $98,200 | 870 | 1.09× | 12 | 819 |
| New York | $79,620 | 2,660 | 3.38× | 17 | 512 |
| California | $98,110 | 4,860 | 3.28× | 7 | 408 |
| Illinois | $56,560 | — | — | 9 | 214 |
| Tennessee | $75,390 | 730 | 2.74× | 8 | 212 |
| Arizonamoderate | $60,340 | 160 | 0.62× | 4 | 190 |
| New Jerseymoderate | $81,190 | 170 | 0.50× | 4 | 176 |
| Wisconsin | $74,990 | 40 | 0.16× | 6 | 166 |
| Texas | $82,920 | 320 | 0.28× | 9 | 165 |
| Oklahoma | — | 40 | 0.31× | 5 | 136 |
| South Carolina | — | 80 | 0.43× | 7 | 130 |
| Massachusetts | — | 80 | 0.26× | 10 | 109 |
| Ohio | $76,790 | 100 | 0.23× | 12 | 106 |
| North Carolina | — | 240 | 0.59× | 9 | 88 |
| Kentuckymoderate | — | 40 | 0.24× | 4 | 60 |
| Michigan | $82,440 | — | — | 10 | 60 |
| Connecticut | $81,470 | 170 | 1.27× | 6 | 53 |
| Georgiamoderate | — | 230 | 0.57× | 3 | 48 |
| Washingtonmoderate | $74,620 | 120 | 0.43× | 4 | 44 |
| Virginiamoderate | $73,400 | 110 | 0.34× | 4 | 43 |
| Colorado | $95,530 | 80 | 0.36× | 5 | 40 |
| Louisianalimited | — | 30 | 0.21× | 2 | 20 |
| Utahlimited | — | 150 | 1.05× | 2 | 19 |
| Minnesota | — | 40 | 0.18× | 5 | 16 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $81,690 | 40 | 0.72× | 3 | 14 |
| Arkansaslimited | $78,560 | 30 | 0.31× | 2 | 7 |
| Oregonlimited | — | 90 | 0.58× | 2 | 4 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Collect fees, commissions, or other payments, according to contract terms.
- Send samples of clients' work and other promotional material to potential employers to obtain auditions, sponsorships, or endorsement deals.
- Keep informed of industry trends and deals.
- Conduct auditions or interviews to evaluate potential clients.
- Negotiate with managers, promoters, union officials, and other persons regarding clients' contractual rights and obligations.
- Confer with clients to develop strategies for their careers, and to explain actions taken on their behalf.
- Develop contacts with individuals and organizations, and apply effective strategies and techniques to ensure their clients' success.
- Schedule promotional or performance engagements for clients.
Skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Active Listening4.0
- Speaking4.0
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Writing3.6
- Active Learning3.5
- Monitoring2.9
- Learning Strategies2.6
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4
- Sales and Marketing4.0
- English Language3.9
- Administration and Management3.8
- Fine Arts3.7
- Communications and Media3.7
Abilities
- Oral Expression4.1
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Speech Clarity3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Speech Recognition3.9
Core activities
- Getting Information4.5
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships4.1
- Thinking Creatively4.0
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization4.0
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge3.9
- Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work3.8
How to get in
How to become an agent
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Agents and Business Managers of Artists, Performers, and Athletes5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 50.1001Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, General
- 50.1002Fine and Studio Arts Management
- 50.1099Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management, Other
- 52.0202Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an agent?+
BLS lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes. It also expects less than 5 years of related work experience. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management; Sports Communication; and Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming an agent?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management; Sports Communication; and Purchasing, Procurement/Acquisitions and Contracts Management (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this job, which together graduate about 4,759 people a year.
How much do agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes earn?+
The median is $82,890 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $48,010 at the 10th percentile to $284,570 at the 90th. 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 agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes growing?+
BLS projects a +8.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 2,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
236 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 agents and business managers of artists, performers, and athletes work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Agent, Talent Agent, Booking Agent, Theatrical Agent among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 13-1011.
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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