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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

16 Colleges in Illinois
746 Bachelor's Degrees
$21,299 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #38 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 16 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 746 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois Your choice of drama & theater arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theater program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools 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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in Illinois

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts.

10 Top Illinois Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1
98 Annual Graduates
$23,935 Median Starting Salary
$17,000 Median Student Debt

It is hard to beat Northwestern University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Northwestern University make $2,636 more than the average theater graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University

2
33 Annual Graduates
$21,928 Median Starting Salary
$20,500 Median Student Debt

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make around $21,928 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
62 Annual Graduates
$24,597 Median Starting Salary
$26,348 Median Student Debt

DePaul University is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from DePaul University make $3,298 more than the average theater grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from DePaul University

4
148 Annual Graduates
$20,854 Median Starting Salary
$26,977 Median Student Debt

Columbia College Chicago is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $20,854 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago

5
55 Annual Graduates
$21,700 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Millikin is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Decatur.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $21,700 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Millikin University

6
58 Annual Graduates
$23,472 Median Starting Salary
$24,246 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Illinois State University earn a boost of around $2,173 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Illinois State University

7
27 Annual Graduates
$18,711 Median Starting Salary
$21,238 Median Student Debt

UIC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Chicago.

After graduation, theater bachelor's recipients generally make about $18,711 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Chicago

8
16 Annual Graduates
$18,075 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $18,075.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Illinois Wesleyan University

9
North Central crest
North Central College
Naperville, IL
39 Annual Graduates
$22,826 Median Starting Salary
$21,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program report average early career earnings of $22,826.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from North Central College

10
48 Annual Graduates
$22,483 Median Starting Salary
$26,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program report average early career wages of $22,483.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Roosevelt University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 261 332
Ohio 252 453
Indiana 235 296
Wisconsin 213 256

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Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 414
Musical Theater 115
Acting 98
Theater Design & Technology 42
Comedy Writing and Performance 42
Theatre and Dance 13
Directing & Theatrical Production 9
Playwriting & Screenwriting 7
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 4
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 1,222
Design & Applied Arts 768
Music 681
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 468
Arts & Media Management 154
Other Visual Art 62
General Visual & Performing Arts 49
Dance 34
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

Notes and References

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