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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Tennessee

17 Colleges in Tennessee
2,834 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,124 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.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 17 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Tennessee ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,834 degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Tennessee 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

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 Tennessee list to help you make the college 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 Visual & Performing Arts in Tennessee

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 Tennessee Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
84 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,788 Median Starting Salary

It's difficult to beat Vanderbilt University if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #19 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were roughly 84 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $26,788.

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

2
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
656 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,957 Median Starting Salary

Belmont University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #206 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Belmont is a great university overall.

There were approximately 656 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Belmont in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $23,957 in the first couple years of their career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
167 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to look into The University of Tennessee - Knoxville. UT Knoxville is a fairly large public university located in the city of Knoxville. A Best Colleges rank of #173 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UT Knoxville is a great university overall.

There were approximately 167 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Knoxville in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at The University of Tennessee - Knoxville make $4,134 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
421 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,964 Median Starting Salary

Middle Tennessee State University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Murfreesboro, Middle Tennessee State University is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #866 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Middle Tennessee State University is a great university overall.

There were approximately 421 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Middle Tennessee State University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $26,964 for their early career.

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

5
Lipscomb crest
Lipscomb University
Nashville, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$18,623 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Nashville, Lipscomb is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #577 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Lipscomb is a great university overall.

There were about 88 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Lipscomb in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn around $18,623 in their early career salary.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
194 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,012 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Memphis, UofM is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #748 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UofM is a great university overall.

There were about 194 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UofM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $24,012.

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

7
Lee University crest
Lee University
Cleveland, TN
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
73 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
31.5% Growth in Graduates

Lee University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cleveland. This university ranks 15th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were about 73 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Lee University in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Lee University receive $2,667 more than the average visual & performing arts graduate.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
11.9% Growth in Graduates

TNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville. This university ranks 18th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 42 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at TNU in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Trevecca Nazarene University make $5,805 more than the standard visual & performing arts grad.

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

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$36,026 Median Starting Salary

UT Chattanooga is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Chattanooga. This university ranks 16th out of 45 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.

There were approximately 87 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Chattanooga in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga receive an earnings boost of about $9,902 over the typical income of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
95 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,165 Median Starting Salary

ETSU is a large public university located in the city of Johnson City. A Best Colleges rank of #851 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ETSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 95 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at ETSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make around $23,165 at the beginning of their careers.

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

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
North Carolina383,192
West Virginia38405
Florida387,266
Virginia383,458
Arkansas38821
Mississippi38695
South Carolina381,353
Louisiana371,147
Alabama371,138
Kentucky371,060
Georgia374,303

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

MajorAnnual Graduates
Music822
Arts & Media Management583
Fine & Studio Arts460
Design & Applied Arts372
Film, Video & Photographic Arts271
Drama & Theater Arts232
General Visual & Performing Arts78
Dance15
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art1

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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