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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington

13 Colleges in Washington
1,877 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,911 Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,877 degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2021-2022 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 Washington Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for visual & performing arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

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

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in Washington

The schools below may not offer all types of visual & performing arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Washington Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
372 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
5.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 372 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,745 over the typical earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,355 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to check out Western Washington University. WWU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bellingham. A Best Colleges rank of #215 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 216 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $28,355.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,721 Median Starting Salary
$26,511 Median Student Debt

University of Puget Sound is a great decision for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Tacoma, Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #348 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Puget Sound is a great university overall.

There were about 20 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Puget Sound in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $27,721 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Puget Sound

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts has to take a look at Central Washington University. Located in the town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #357 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means CWU is a great university overall.

There were about 165 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $26,917 in their early career salary.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,101 Median Starting Salary

Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were roughly 80 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Seattle University receive $2,190 more than the average visual & performing arts grad.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

SPU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Seattle. This university ranks 10th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 68 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at SPU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Seattle Pacific University make $5,802 more than the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,365 Median Starting Salary

Cornish College of the Arts is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of Seattle.

There were roughly 112 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Cornish College of the Arts in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn an average of $24,365 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Cornish College of the Arts

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
17.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were approximately 100 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Washington State University earn $2,795 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,952 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Tacoma, PLU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 15th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 35 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at PLU 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 $26,952.

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

10
Walla Walla U crest
Walla Walla University
College Place, WA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$25,370 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of College Place, Walla Walla U is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 19th out of 51 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 25 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Walla Walla U in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients usually earn an average of $25,370 in the first five years of their career.

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

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

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
California3822,287
Oregon371,654
Hawaii36196
Nevada35553
Alaska3360

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts651
Music387
Fine & Studio Arts373
Drama & Theater Arts191
Film, Video & Photographic Arts177
Dance44
Arts & Media Management32
Other Visual Art14
General Visual & Performing Arts8

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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