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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New York

46 Colleges in New York
2,842 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,795 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 46 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,842 degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New York Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Drama & Theater Arts Rankings by 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 New York ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. 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 New York

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 New York Schools in Theater

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
453 Theater Degrees Awarded
$35,744 Median Starting Salary

New York University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were about 452.99999999999994 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at New York University get $11,949 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Theater Degrees Awarded
$31,068 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Columbia is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were about 42 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Columbia University in the City of New York get an earnings boost of approximately $7,273 above the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia University in the City of New York

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
481 Theater Degrees Awarded
$18,417 Median Starting Salary

American Musical and Dramatic Academy is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 481 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients typically earn about $18,417 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy

4
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, NY

The Juilliard School is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Juilliard is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

There were about 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Juilliard in the most recent data year. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from The Juilliard School receive $25,440 more than the typical theater student.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The Juilliard School

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
29th Most Popular In NY

The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means The Graduate Center is a great school overall.

There were about 20 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at The Graduate Center in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The Graduate Center, CUNY

6
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Theater Degrees Awarded
$21,187 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #132 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were roughly 58 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $21,187 for their early career.

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

7
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Theater Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Purchase, Purchase College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 59th out of 142 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 151 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Purchase College in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients usually earn around $25,288 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,382 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #208 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means New School University is a great school overall.

There were about 83 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at New School University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $24,382 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The New School

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Theater Degrees Awarded
$17,578 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 101 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York 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 $17,578.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York

10
Skidmore crest
Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
27th Most Popular In NY
19.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Saratoga Springs, Skidmore is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #281 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Skidmore is a great college overall.

There were approximately 21 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Skidmore in the most recent data year.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 754
Maryland 279 179
New Jersey 273 210
District of Columbia 188 67

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Drama & Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Theater Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 1,304
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 515
Acting 419
Musical Theater 248
Playwriting & Screenwriting 159
Theater Design & Technology 134
Directing & Theatrical Production 58
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 3
Costume Design 2

View All Theater Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 4,452
Fine & Studio Arts 3,405
Music 2,351
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 2,006
Arts & Media Management 688
General Visual & Performing Arts 610
Dance 372
Other Visual Art 344

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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