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2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

139 Ranked Colleges
1,684 Degrees Awarded
$25,600 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Master's For Those Getting Aid

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.

In 2019-2020, 18,124 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $21,403 and had an average of $26,932 in loans still to pay off.

At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,684 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 139 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama and theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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 Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree theater students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

#1

Hunter College

New York, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in New York, New York, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter are $20,828.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Hunter College

#2

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, North Carolina

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UNC Chapel Hill Drama & Theater Arts Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Los Angeles

#4

Brooklyn College

Brooklyn, New York

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brooklyn College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Brooklyn College are $20,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Brooklyn College Drama & Theater Arts Report

#5

University of Florida

Gainesville, Florida

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UF

#6

Yale University

New Haven, Connecticut

Yale University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 45 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Yale also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale University are $44,500, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Yale University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#12 in overall quality

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UC Irvine

#8

Purdue University - Main Campus

West Lafayette, Indiana
#20 in overall quality

Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Purdue Drama & Theater Arts Report

With a ranking of #9, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 19 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Florida are $28,657, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UCF

#10

Florida State University

Tallahassee, Florida

Florida State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.

Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State University are $26,707, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Florida State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#12

University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNCSA is a small public school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina School of the Arts are $26,064.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UNCSA

California State University - Northridge came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 8 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at CSUN

University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

UW - Madison also took the #0 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison

University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus

California State University - Fullerton landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Cal State Fullerton Drama & Theater Arts Report

The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

In addition to being on our master’s degree theater students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UT Austin

University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nevada - Las Vegas are $21,962.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UNLV

#19

San Diego State University

San Diego, California

San Diego State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full San Diego State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#20

University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Greensboro, North Carolina

University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 12 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Greensboro are $21,918.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UNC Greensboro

#21

Texas Woman's University

Denton, Texas

Texas Woman’s University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at TWU are $14,962, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at TWU

California State University - Long Beach landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 9 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Long Beach

#23

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

University of California - Los Angeles came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of California - Los Angeles Drama & Theater Arts Report

#24

Indiana University - Bloomington

Bloomington, Indiana
Top 25% in overall quality

Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Indiana University - Bloomington Drama & Theater Arts Report

#25

University of Virginia - Main Campus

Charlottesville, Virginia
#21 in overall quality

University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia - Main Campus

Notes and References

References

  • 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

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