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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New Jersey

20 Colleges in New Jersey
2,687 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,137 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in visual & performing arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #10 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools in New Jersey 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 2,687 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 New Jersey Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Visual & Performing 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 Visual & Performing Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
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 New Jersey list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Visual & Performing Arts in New Jersey

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 visual & performing arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top New Jersey Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
284 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,248 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Rutgers University - New Brunswick if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Rutgers New Brunswick is a very large public university located in the city of New Brunswick. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were about 284 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Rutgers University - New Brunswick earn $4,111 more than the standard visual & performing arts graduate.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,767 Median Starting Salary

The College of New Jersey is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #251 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means TCNJ is a great college overall.

There were about 91 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at The College of New Jersey make $3,630 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The College of New Jersey

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
367 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,270 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Montclair State University if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Montclair State is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Montclair. A Best Colleges rank of #346 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 367 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $25,270 for their early career.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$44,192 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat New Jersey Institute of Technology if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Newark, NJIT is a public school with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NJIT is a great school overall.

There were about 24 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at NJIT in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at New Jersey Institute of Technology get $19,055 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from New Jersey Institute of Technology

5
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
184 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #329 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rowan is a great university overall.

There were approximately 184 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rowan in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $25,038 for their early career.

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

6
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,180 Median Starting Salary

Rider is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Lawrenceville. A Best Colleges rank of #482 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rider is a great university overall.

There were about 134 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rider in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make an average of $24,180 in their early careers.

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

7
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,690 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Union, Kean is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 22nd out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 112 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Kean in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Kean University earn $2,553 more than the typical visual & performing arts student.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
1.8% Growth in Graduates

William Paterson University is a moderately-sized public university located in the large suburb of Wayne. This university ranks 16th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 109 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at William Paterson University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $24,373 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from William Paterson University of New Jersey

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,921 Median Starting Salary

Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Camden. A Best Colleges rank of #658 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rutgers Camden is a great university overall.

There were approximately 33 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Camden in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make around $25,921 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rutgers University - Camden

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,721 Median Starting Salary

NJCU is a moderately-sized public university located in the large city of Jersey City. This university ranks 31st out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 92 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at NJCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make about $26,721 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from New Jersey City 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
Pennsylvania 38 5,399
New York 38 16,395
Maryland 37 2,030
Delaware 33 182
District of Columbia 33 571

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 821
Music 593
Design & Applied Arts 585
Drama & Theater Arts 210
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 183
General Visual & Performing Arts 180
Dance 92
Arts & Media Management 21
Other Visual Art 2

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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