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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major

21 Ranked Colleges
158 Degrees Awarded
$36,000 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Acting Major

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 1,793 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 323rd most popular in the United States.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 158 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,425 and $0 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in acting. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in acting.

Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major” list to help you make the college decision.

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.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree acting students.

Top 21 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Acting

1
American Conservatory Theater crest
American Conservatory Theater
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend American Conservatory Theater. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major. American Conservatory Theater is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 12 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Acting at American Conservatory Theater

2
New York Film Academy crest
New York Film Academy
Burbank, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend New York Film Academy. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. New York Film Academy is a small school located in Burbank, California that handed out 29 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at New York Film Academy

3
CalArts crest
California Institute of the Arts
Valencia, California

Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #3 spot on the list. Located in Valencia, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 14 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at CalArts

4
Juilliard crest
The Juilliard School
New York, New York

Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Juilliard School landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in New York, New York, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 10 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Juilliard Acting Report

5
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, California

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Academy of Art University is a private for-profit institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 13 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Academy of Art University Acting Report

6
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 7 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Acting at Columbia College Chicago

7
New School University crest
The New School
New York, New York

With a ranking of #7, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. New School University is located in New York, New York and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 11 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full New School University Acting Report

8
MUW crest
Mississippi University for Women
Columbus, Mississippi

Mississippi University for Women did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Columbus, Mississippi, this small public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Acting at MUW

9
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #9. USD is located in San Diego, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at USD

10
GWU crest
George Washington University
Washington, District of Columbia

George Washington University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #10. George Washington University is a large school located in Washington, District of Columbia that handed out 17 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 88%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full GWU Acting Report

11
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #11, DePaul University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. DePaul University is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 7 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full DePaul Acting Report

12

University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. University of California - San Diego is a public institution located in La Jolla, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.0% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 94%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full University of California - San Diego Acting Report

13
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Temple University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Temple is a large school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that handed out 6 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Temple Acting Report

14

University of Washington - Seattle Campus came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is located in Seattle, Washington and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 6 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.

Read more about Acting at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

15

With a ranking of #15, Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Located in Athens, Ohio, this large public school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

Read more about Acting at Ohio University - Athens Campus

16
USC crest
University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #16, University of Southern California did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. University of Southern California is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 5 masters’s acting degrees in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at USC

17

Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Located in Provo, Utah, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 6 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 92%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at BYU

17
Yale crest
Yale University
New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #17. Located in New Haven, Connecticut, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Yale University Acting Report

17
Lindenwood University crest
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles, Missouri

Lindenwood University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Lindenwood University is located in Saint Charles, Missouri and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 5 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at Lindenwood University

17
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island

Brown University ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Brown is located in Providence, Rhode Island and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 92%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Acting at Brown

17
CUA crest
Catholic University of America
Washington, District of Columbia

With a ranking of #17, Catholic University of America did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2020-2021.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Acting at Catholic University of America

Notes and References

References

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