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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

71 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
2,285 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,388 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 71 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 2,285 degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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. 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.

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

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 the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 the Great Lakes Region

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,935 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the finest 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 118 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn about $23,935 in their early careers.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Theater Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts has to check out University of Notre Dame. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were about 68 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Notre Dame make $19,494 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Notre Dame

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,105 Median Starting Salary

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were about 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $24,105 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI
32 Theater Degrees Awarded

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a great option for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were about 32 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Theater Degrees Awarded
$27,520 Median Starting Salary

UC is a very large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 96 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,132 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Theater Degrees Awarded
29.5% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were about 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign make $4,728 more than the typical 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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,002 Median Starting Salary

Purdue is a very large public university located in the small city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were roughly 20 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $2,614 above the typical income of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Purdue University - Main Campus

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Theater Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 111 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from DePaul University get an earnings boost of about $2,909 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,128 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn around $24,128 at the beginning of their careers.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,854 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 16th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 145 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia 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 wages of $20,854.

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Drama & Theater Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

RankCollegeLocation
11Indiana University - BloomingtonBloomington, IN
12Ohio State University - Main CampusColumbus, OH
13University of EvansvilleEvansville, IN
14Millikin UniversityDecatur, IL
15Illinois State UniversityNormal, IL
16Kent State University at KentKent, OH
17University of Illinois at ChicagoChicago, IL

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan322364
Ohio314523
Illinois304855
Indiana294315
Wisconsin273259

View All Rankings >

Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Theater Concentrations

MajorAnnual Graduates
Theater Arts1,437
Acting249
Musical Theater222
Theater Design & Technology177
Playwriting & Screenwriting64
Directing & Theatrical Production43
Comedy Writing and Performance39
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft26
Theatre and Dance24
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism4

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts5,430
Fine & Studio Arts4,323
Music3,842
Film, Video & Photographic Arts1,712
Arts & Media Management601
General Visual & Performing Arts429
Dance342
Other Visual Art78
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry11

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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