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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

36 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,377 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,214 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 reviewed 36 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,377 degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region 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

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater

The theater school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region. 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 Southwest 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.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Theater Degrees Awarded
$29,583 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 88 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at The University of Texas at Austin get $4,369 above the standard college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$19,428 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make around $19,428 for their early career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,629 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts has to take a look at University of Arizona. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were approximately 41 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make around $24,629 in the first couple years of their career.

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

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Theater Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Texas State University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Texas State is a very large public university located in the small city of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 156 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at Texas State University make $3,214 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Theater Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were about 48 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $23,185.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Theater Degrees Awarded
$17,218 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 34 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career wages of $17,218.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$19,854 Median Starting Salary
$22,000 Median Student Debt

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 18 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. After graduation, theater degree recipients generally make about $19,854 at the beginning of their careers.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Theater Degrees Awarded
$28,008 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 65 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe receive an earnings boost of about $2,794 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

9
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,377 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 4th out of 32 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were approximately 42 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OCU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients usually make an average of $20,377 in their early careers.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In OK

Located in the town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #227 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 6 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Texas317982
Arizona287184
Oklahoma257188
New Mexico21940

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

MajorAnnual Graduates
Theater Arts1,064
Acting107
Musical Theater83
Theater Design & Technology48
Theatre and Dance46
Playwriting & Screenwriting17
Directing & Theatrical Production6
Costume Design3
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft3

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts7,759
Design & Applied Arts3,281
Music2,883
Film, Video & Photographic Arts1,084
General Visual & Performing Arts1,008
Dance425
Arts & Media Management383
Other Visual Art13

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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