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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in District of Columbia

3 Colleges in District of Columbia
608 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$35,351 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in visual & performing arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #10 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools in District of Columbia to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 608 degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in District of Columbia Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Visual & Performing Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

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

Pick Your Visual & Performing Arts Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Master's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Doctor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in District of Columbia list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Visual & Performing Arts in District of Columbia

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

Top District of Columbia Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

George Washington University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. GWU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means GWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 159 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at GWU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at George Washington University make $5,546 above the typical graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from George Washington University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
104 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
27.9% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Catholic University of America if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Washington, CUA is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 5th out of 8 colleges for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were roughly 104 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CUA in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $29,342 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Catholic University of America

2
The American University crest
American University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
168 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$37,927 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat American University if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington. A Best Colleges rank of #129 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means The American University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 168 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at The American University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at American University get $2,576 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from American University

3
Howard crest
Howard University
Washington, DC
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
33.8% Growth in Graduates

Howard University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Washington, Howard is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 8 schools for overall quality in the state of District of Columbia.

There were about 77 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Howard in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $22,310.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Howard University

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New Jersey 38 2,567
Pennsylvania 38 5,399
New York 38 16,395
Maryland 37 2,030
Delaware 33 182

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 146
Music 117
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 89
Drama & Theater Arts 85
Design & Applied Arts 84
Arts & Media Management 57
General Visual & Performing Arts 16
Dance 14

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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