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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois

16 Colleges in Illinois
857 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,223 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in drama & theater arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #59 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 16 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 857 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 Illinois 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for drama & theater arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

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

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

The theater school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in Illinois

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the theater degree levels they offer.

10 Top Illinois Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Theater Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 124 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $23,935.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Theater Degrees Awarded
$27,116 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts has to take a look at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign earn $4,893 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Theater Degrees Awarded
4.3% Growth in Graduates

DePaul University is a great choice for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 94 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from DePaul University get an earnings boost of approximately $3,075 above the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,854 Median Starting Salary

Columbia College Chicago is a good option for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #370 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.

There were roughly 155 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $20,854 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Theater Degrees Awarded
45.5% Growth in Graduates

Millikin is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Decatur. This university ranks 28th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 55 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Millikin 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 $21,700.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,472 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #231 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make about $23,472 in their early career salary.

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

7

UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were about 27 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $18,711 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Chicago

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$18,075 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 16 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $18,075 for their early career.

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

9
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Theater Degrees Awarded
61.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 25th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were about 39 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients usually earn around $22,826 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from North Central College

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
53 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,483 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 38th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 53 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Roosevelt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $22,483 in the first couple years of working.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 364
Ohio 314 523
Indiana 294 315
Wisconsin 273 259

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 458
Musical Theater 115
Acting 112
Theater Design & Technology 46
Playwriting & Screenwriting 42
Comedy Writing and Performance 42
Directing & Theatrical Production 22
Theatre and Dance 13
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 4
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 3

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,585
Music 1,138
Design & Applied Arts 1,084
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 538
Arts & Media Management 259
Other Visual Art 67
General Visual & Performing Arts 64
Dance 37
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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