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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina

15 Colleges in North Carolina
498 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,420 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 15 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 498 degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in North Carolina

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the theater degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Theater

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Theater Degrees Awarded
$32,719 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts needs to look into University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Located in the city of Winston Salem, UNCSA is a public university with a small student population.

There were approximately 91 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCSA in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of North Carolina School of the Arts earn a boost of approximately $9,299 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
19th Most Popular In NC

Every student who is interested in drama & theater arts has to look into Duke University. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 5 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,322 Median Starting Salary
$20,350 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $22,322 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,034 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #623 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Greensboro is a great university overall.

There were about 58 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro 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 $23,034.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In NC
3.4% Growth in Graduates

Appalachian State University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Appalachian State is a fairly large public university located in the town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 29 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,029 Median Starting Salary
$24,750 Median Student Debt

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Wilmington. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were roughly 27 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career earnings of $21,029.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$18,565 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #414 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $18,565 in their early career salary.

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

7
Greensboro College crest
Greensboro College
Greensboro, NC

Located in the city of Greensboro, Greensboro College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 18 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Greensboro College in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn an average of $16,147 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8

UNC Charlotte is a very large public university located in the city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were approximately 27 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $21,016 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,232 Median Starting Salary
$23,551 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 24 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients typically earn an average of $23,232 in their early careers.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 453
Florida 282 656
Virginia 274 455
Tennessee 269 203
South Carolina 248 175
Kentucky 244 181
Louisiana 242 168
Mississippi 234 64
Arkansas 234 97
Alabama 233 147
West Virginia 207 49

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 352
Theater Design & Technology 78
Musical Theater 37
Acting 17
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 13
Costume Design 1

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 2,174
Fine & Studio Arts 725
Music 511
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 261
Dance 125
Arts & Media Management 119
General Visual & Performing Arts 73
Other Visual Art 12
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 10

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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