Best Entertainer programs in Ohio, ranked by enrollment
All entertainers and performers, sports and related workers not listed.
31 schools in Ohio run programs that feed this job, graduating 258 people a year. The job pays a median of $17.97/hr in Ohio across about 400 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Ohio that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
4 programs in Ohio that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Ohio (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 Ohio page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 50.0501In Ohio → | 195 | 75.6% | 26 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 2 | CIP 50.0507In Ohio → | 30 | 11.6% | 3 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
| 3 | CIP 09.0906In Ohio → | 26 | 10.1% | 4 | $39,658 | $24,500 |
| 4 | CIP 50.0512In Ohio → | 7 | 2.7% | 2 | $20,667 | $24,994 |
Top 25 schools in Ohio
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 14 of the 31 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH Public · 2 feeder programs | 41 | Directing and Theatrical Production | $25,070 | 75% | — | 85% |
| 2 | Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH Public · 2 feeder programs | 29 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $23,920 | 88% | — | 61% |
| 3 | Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH Public · 2 feeder programs | 28 | Sports Communication | $50,700 | 80% | — | 75% |
| 4 | Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $21,900 | 64% | — | 81% |
| 5 | Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $24,565 | 64% | — | 86% |
| 6 | Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $24,933 | 50% | — | 84% |
| 7 | Sinclair Community College Dayton, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 41% | — | — |
| 8 | Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 51% | — | 91% |
| 9 | Ohio Northern University Ada, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $19,167 | 75% | $23,912 | 74% |
| 10 | Kenyon College Gambier, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 82% | $20,475 | 31% |
| 11 | Oberlin College Oberlin, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $12,441 | 81% | $28,313 | 34% |
| 12 | Ohio University - Main Campus Athens, OH Public · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $15,602 | 65% | — | 85% |
| 13 | University of Toledo Toledo, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | $21,685 | 57% | — | 92% |
| 14 | Ohio Wesleyan University Delaware, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 59% | $18,325 | 56% |
| 15 | The College of Wooster Wooster, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Theatre and Dance | — | 74% | $22,491 | 60% |
| 16 | Case Western Reserve University Cleveland, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 87% | $27,976 | 37% |
| 17 | Heidelberg University Tiffin, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 52% | $20,742 | 86% |
| 18 | Ohio Media School - Valley View Valley View, OH Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Sports Communication | $15,718 | 66% | $26,225 | — |
| 19 | Xavier University Cincinnati, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 69% | $31,119 | 86% |
| 20 | Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Directing and Theatrical Production | $16,055 | 67% | $25,104 | 76% |
| 21 | Cedarville University Cedarville, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 73% | $22,701 | 65% |
| 22 | Cuyahoga Community College District Cleveland, OH Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 31% | — | — |
| 23 | Franciscan University of Steubenville Steubenville, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 75% | $21,122 | 58% |
| 24 | Muskingum University New Concord, OH Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General | — | 56% | $19,372 | 82% |
| 25 | Ohio Media School - Cincinnati Norwood, OH Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sports Communication | $14,229 | 65% | $25,812 | — |
All 31 schools in Ohio
Every school in Ohio 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 Cincinnati - Main Campus | Cincinnati | Public | 41 | 2 |
| Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus | Public | 29 | 2 |
| Miami University - Oxford | Oxford | Public | 28 | 2 |
| Bowling Green State University - Main Campus | Bowling Green | Public | 19 | 1 |
| Kent State University at Kent | Kent | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Youngstown State University | Youngstown | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Sinclair Community College | Dayton | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Cleveland State University | Cleveland | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Ohio Northern University | Ada | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| Kenyon College | Gambier | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Oberlin College | Oberlin | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 1 |
| Ohio University - Main Campus | Athens | Public | 9 | 2 |
| University of Toledo | Toledo | Public | 6 | 1 |
| Ohio Wesleyan University | Delaware | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| The College of Wooster | Wooster | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
What entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other earn in Ohio
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.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Ohio, 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 Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other page.
How to become a Entertainer
- Typical entry education
- No formal educational credential
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Ohio
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Entertainers and Performers, Sports and Related Workers, All Other5 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 09.0906Sports Communication
- 50.0501Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General
- 50.0507Directing and Theatrical Production
- 50.0512Theatre and Dance
- 50.0599Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other programs in Ohio.
What degree do you need to become an Entertainer?+
No formal educational credential 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 195 degrees in Ohio in 2024-25, 75.6% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Entertainer?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this occupation. The largest are Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Public Relations. Together they graduate about 258 people a year in Ohio.
How much do entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other earn in Ohio?+
The median is $17.97 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 entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other growing?+
BLS projects a +6.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, faster than average, with roughly 4,400 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Ohio?+
31 institutions in Ohio 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.
Do you need training or experience beyond a degree?+
BLS lists 'None' for related work experience and 'Short-term on-the-job training' for on-the-job training typically needed to reach competency.
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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