College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California

56 Colleges in California
24,521 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,368 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 56 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 24,521 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California The visual & performing arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts rankings. 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.

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.

Visual & Performing Arts Rankings by 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

The visual & performing arts 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 Visual & Performing Arts Schools in California. 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 California

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.

10 Top California Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,089 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
8.2% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1089 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of around $4,429 above the average earnings of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
273 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,952 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were approximately 273 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at University of California - Berkeley make $2,583 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Berkeley

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
569 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,313 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. UCLA is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were roughly 569 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $26,313 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Los Angeles

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
548 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
29.0% Growth in Graduates

Chapman University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 548 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman 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 $28,071.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
473 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,888 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 473 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine 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 income of $24,888.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Irvine

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
397 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,997 Median Starting Salary

UCSB is a very large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were roughly 397 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn about $23,997 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Santa Barbara

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
298 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,983 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 298 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at FIDM Los Angeles in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $27,983 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
345 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
15.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 345 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $26,918 in the first couple years of working.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
263 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,461 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were approximately 263 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn about $26,461 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - San Diego

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
437 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,273 Median Starting Salary

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 437 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn an average of $26,273 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Davis

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Washington371,718
Oregon371,654
Hawaii36196
Nevada35553
Alaska3360

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts6,800
Design & Applied Arts4,768
Film, Video & Photographic Arts4,479
Music3,501
Drama & Theater Arts2,809
General Visual & Performing Arts1,286
Dance498
Arts & Media Management335
Other Visual Art45

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options