As a performing and media arts major, you’ll benefit from the synergies between the study and practice of theatre and live performance, cinema/media and/or dance. Whether you’re an actor/director, a filmmaker, a scholar-critic, a choreographer or a designer, you’ll be able to take many possible combinations of courses depending on your interest in history/theory/criticism, creative authorship, design or embodied performance and more. Students are also welcome to explore our four minors: Performing and Media Arts, Dance, Film and Theatre.
Sample classes
- Dance Improvisation or Technology and the Moving Body
- Screening Cosa Nostra: The Mafia and the Movies from Scarface to The Sopranos
- Staging Dissent: Theater and Social Change
- Introduction to African-American Cinema
Outcomes
All information below is based on the 2022 First-Destination Post-Graduate Survey. Lists are not exhaustive, rather they are a sampling of the data. If you would like more information, please email as_careers@cornell.edu
What can you do with a degree in Performing & Media Arts?
Graduate school:
In 2022, 25% of PMA students embarked on graduate school journeys. They pursued various advanced degrees, with 54% focusing on their MFA, 31% working towards an MA, 8% dedicated to an MD, and more. Their graduate field interest ranges from film & video studies (38%), archaeology (8%), and creative writing (8%).
These ambitious individuals have chosen to continue their education at prestigious institutions like California State University-Los Angeles, Carnegie Mellon University, Columbia University, New York University, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Employment:
58% of performing & media arts graduates secured employment, and the majority entered sectors in communication/media (29%), business/industry (13%), and consulting/professional practice (10%). Comcast/NBCUniversal was the top 2022 employer.
Where 2022 Performing & Media Arts Graduates Work
| Employer | Job Titles |
|---|---|
| Actors' Equity | Business Representative for Discrimination and Harassment |
| Cheddar | Production Assistant |
| Comcast/NBCUniversal | Entertainment Operations Coordinator |
| Product Designer | |
| Intuitive Production Management | Assistant Production Manager |
| MarVista Entertainment | Creative Affairs Assistant |
| Model Club Inc. | Actor |
| United Talent Agency | Agent Trainee |
| Verizon Media | Production Coordinator/Producer |
