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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Illinois

11 Ranked Colleges
100 Degrees Awarded
$29,151 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois

With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. 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 Theater Major in Illinois” ranking - to help you make that decision.

In 2020-2021, 17,341 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $23,190 and had an average of $23,522 in loans still to pay off.

Across Illinois, there were 857 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $22,223 and $24,226 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 100 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $59,317 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois” ranking looked at 11 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in drama and theater arts. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their drama and theater arts program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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 Theater Major in Illinois

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

Top 11 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in Illinois

1
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the #1 spot on the list. DePaul University is a large private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 32 masters’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at DePaul

2
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Columbia College Chicago landed the #2 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 7 masters’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia

3
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Roosevelt University. The school came in at #3 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Roosevelt

4
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Out of the 11 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the #4 spot on the list. Northwestern University is located in Evanston, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 22 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% 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 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. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Western Illinois University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois. Western Illinois University is located in Macomb, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 4 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Full Western Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report

6

With a ranking of #6, Southern Illinois University Carbondale did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. SIUC is a public institution located in Carbondale, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Southern Illinois University Carbondale Drama & Theater Arts Report

7
Illinois State crest
Illinois State University
Normal, Illinois

Illinois State University ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. Illinois State University is a large school located in Normal, Illinois that handed out 10 masters’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 Illinois State University Drama & Theater Arts Report

8

Northern Illinois University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking, coming in at #8. Northern Illinois University is a public institution located in Dekalb, Illinois. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Illinois University

9

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 8 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Drama & Theater Arts Report

10
UChicago crest
University of Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

University of Chicago came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois ranking. Chicago, Illinois is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 100%, 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 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UChicago

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Illinois at Chicago did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Theater Major in Illinois list. UIC is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 27 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UIC

Notes and References

References

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