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2022 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California

5 Ranked Colleges
712 Degrees Awarded
$25,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

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.

Across California, there were 3,227 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,531 and $31,651 respectively. At the associate degree level specifically, there were 712 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $36,451 and $19,634 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California” ranking, we looked at 5 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great drama and theater arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california associate degree theater students.

Top 5 Best Value Associate Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California

#1

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, California
#2 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California list. SRJC is a fairly large school located in Santa Rosa, California that handed out 8 associates’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

SRJC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #2 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SRJC is $5,782 for California Associate Degree Theater students.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at SRJC

#2

Mt. San Antonio College

Walnut, California
#3 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Mt. San Antonio College. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California. Located in Walnut, California, this large public school awarded 6 degrees to qualified associates’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Mt. SAC, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Mt. SAC is $1,729 for California Associate Degree Theater students.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Mt. SAC

#1 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California list. This small school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 11 associates’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california associate degree theater students list, FIDM Los Angeles has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $41,505 for california associate degree theater students per year to attend FIDM Los Angeles.

Full FIDM Los Angeles Drama & Theater Arts Report

#4

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California
#4 in overall quality

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the #4 spot on the 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 7 associates’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend Academy of Art University is $34,145 for california associate degree theater students.

Full Academy of Art University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#5

New York Film Academy

Burbank, California
#5 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend New York Film Academy. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for an Associate in California. This small school is located in Burbank, California, and it awarded 23 associates’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at New York Film Academy, the school also landed the #5 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $45,280 for California Associate Degree Theater students per year to attend New York Film Academy.

The low student loan default rate of 2.5% 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%. Since the school has a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.

Full New York Film Academy Drama & Theater Arts Report

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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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