Media Arts degree programs prepare students for a range of careers in the field. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
For its 2026 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for media arts students pursuing a degree.
What’s on this page:
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the media arts degrees they offer, see the list below.
No school ranked higher than Ball State University this year for media arts. Ball State University is a very large public school located in the city of Muncie. Roughly 62% of students complete a degree within six years here. About 171 media arts degrees were awarded at Ball State University in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, media arts degree recipients from Ball State University generally make around $39,676. Typical student debt for the program is $23,443.
Read more about the media arts program at Ball State University
Butler University came in at #2 on our 2026 list of the best media arts schools. Set in the city of Indianapolis, Butler University is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit institution. Butler University graduates 79% of students within six years. Butler University awarded about 13 media arts degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their media arts degree from Butler University earn around $68,222 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $25,351.
See the full media arts program report for Butler University
Students looking for a strong media arts program will find one at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis, which ranked #3. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis is a very large public school located in the city of Indianapolis. About 54% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 90 media arts students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, media arts degree recipients from Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis generally make around $28,508. Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis graduates carry a median of $22,959 in student loans.
Read more about the media arts program at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis
Purdue University Global is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in media arts, ranking #4. Set in the city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a very large public institution. About 33% of students finish within six years. There were roughly 79 media arts students who graduated with this degree at Purdue University Global in the most recent data year. Students who receive their media arts degree from Purdue University Global earn around $48,015 in the first couple years of their career. Purdue University Global graduates carry a median of $46,125 in student loans.
See the full media arts program report for Purdue University Global
A rank of #5 makes Indiana University South Bend one of the top schools for media arts. Indiana University South Bend is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of South Bend. About 40% of students finish within six years. About 12 media arts degrees were awarded at Indiana University South Bend in the most recent year. Soon after graduation, media arts degree recipients from Indiana University South Bend generally make around $30,190. Typical student debt for the program is $22,625.
Get the full media arts details for Indiana University South Bend
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. The methodology weighs graduation rate, post-graduation earnings, cost, and program quality, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 17 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
