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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

8 Ranked Colleges
101 Degrees Awarded
$23,300 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Master's in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking is part of that endeavor.

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 Illinois, there were 844 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,300 and $27,875 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 101 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois” ranking looked at 8 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s 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.

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. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 a Master’s in Illinois” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois.

Top 8 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Illinois

#1

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. This large school is located in Normal, Illinois, and it awarded 7 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State University are $11,069.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University

#2

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. Columbia is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Columbia, the school also landed the #6 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia College Chicago are $2,350, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois list. Located in Champaign, Illinois, this large public school awarded 16 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree theater students list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

#4

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

Out of the 8 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Illinois University landed the #4 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Macomb, Illinois, and it awarded 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

WIU also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list, coming in at #8. Average graduate tuition and fees at WIU are $11,996, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at WIU

#5

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend DePaul University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 26 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

DePaul not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul are $19,760, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at DePaul University

#7 in overall quality

Southern Illinois University Carbondale came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Carbondale, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 3 students in 2019-2020.

SIUC not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale are $32,928.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at SIUC

#7

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a small school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 8 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt University are $21,605, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Roosevelt Drama & Theater Arts Report

#8

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Evanston, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 21 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern University are $56,567, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University

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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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