2027 Best Musical Theater Schools in Illinois
Musical Theater is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
To produce this 2027 ranking, College Factual evaluated 3 schools to find the best for musical theater students.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Musical Theater in Illinois
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 musical theater degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Musical Theater
Our analysis ranked Columbia College Chicago the best school in the country for a degree in musical theater. This moderately-sized private not-for-profit university is located in the city of Chicago. Columbia College Chicago graduates 52% of students within six years. Columbia College Chicago awarded about 32 musical theater degrees in the most recent data year. Students who receive their musical theater degree from Columbia College Chicago earn around $17,929 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,977 to complete this degree.
Get the full musical theater details for Columbia College Chicago
Millikin University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in musical theater, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Decatur, Millikin University is a small private not-for-profit university. Roughly 55% of students complete a degree within six years here. Millikin University awarded about 16 musical theater degrees in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, musical theater degree recipients from Millikin University generally make around $24,013. Millikin University graduates carry a median of $27,000 in student loans.
See the full musical theater program report for Millikin University
Roosevelt University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in musical theater, landing the #3 spot this year. Roosevelt University is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. About 46% of students finish within six years. About 46 musical theater degrees were awarded at Roosevelt University in the most recent year. Students who receive their musical theater degree from Roosevelt University earn around $21,001 in the first couple years of their career. Typical student debt for the program is $26,000.
More information about a degree in musical theater from Roosevelt University
More Musical Theater Rankings
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Notes and References
This ranking is produced by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2027 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 3 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.
