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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

56 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
3,575 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,557 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #59 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 56 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for drama & theater arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,575 degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts rankings. We derive our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Drama & Theater Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of theater degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Theater

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Theater Degrees Awarded
$29,827 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 175 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $5,270 more than the standard theater grad.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Theater Degrees Awarded
$31,067 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley receive an earnings boost of around $6,510 over the average income of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Theater Degrees Awarded
13.8% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 87 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $25,166.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,556 Median Starting Salary

Loyola Marymount University is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 20th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 112 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients usually earn about $23,556 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Loyola Marymount University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
129 Theater Degrees Awarded
18.6% Growth in Graduates

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 129 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $25,083.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Irvine

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Theater Degrees Awarded
1.9% Growth in Graduates

Chapman is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 105 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career income of $26,379.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Chapman University

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Theater Degrees Awarded
$29,120 Median Starting Salary

UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from University of California - San Diego earn $4,563 more than the standard theater graduate.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - San Diego

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,006 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients typically earn around $25,006 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Davis

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Theater Degrees Awarded
28.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 57 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career earnings of $26,283.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
60 Theater Degrees Awarded
23.3% Growth in Graduates

UNLV is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Las Vegas. This university ranks 1st out of 9 colleges for overall quality in the state of Nevada.

There were approximately 60 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNLV in the most recent data year. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from University of Nevada - Las Vegas earn $5,202 more than the standard theater student.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Nevada - Las Vegas

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 2,820
Washington 300 230
Oregon 266 176
Nevada 192 82
Hawaii 164 20
Alaska 119 13

View All Rankings >

Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 2,346
Acting 562
Playwriting & Screenwriting 290
Theater Design & Technology 246
Musical Theater 51
Costume Design 32
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 25
Directing & Theatrical Production 20
Theatre and Dance 2
Comedy Writing and Performance 1

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,646
Design & Applied Arts 5,956
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4,641
Music 4,440
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,301
Dance 649
Arts & Media Management 382
Other Visual Art 111
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 14

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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