by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 98 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for drama & theater arts students pursuing a bachelor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,754 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
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.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
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 Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is hard to beat Emory University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Emory University
Duke University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Duke University
University of Florida is a good option for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $22,293 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Florida
University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a good decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. UNCSA is a small public university located in the city of Winston Salem.
Bachelor's recipients from the drama & theater arts program at University of North Carolina School of the Arts get $4,780 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Tulane University of Louisiana is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Tulane is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New Orleans.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Tulane University of Louisiana
Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Georgia receive $2,461 more than the average theater student.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Georgia
Located in the city of Tallahassee, Florida State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $20,070 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Florida State University
Vanderbilt is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Vanderbilt University
University of Virginia is a very large public university located in the suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Virginia Tech
SCAD is a fairly large private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Savannah.
Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make around $17,738 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Savannah College of Art and Design
UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Chapel Hill.
After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make about $22,322 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
JMU is a fairly large public university located in the city of Harrisonburg.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $22,508 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from James Madison University
Located in the small city of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make about $15,142 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Miami
Belmont is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Nashville.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Belmont University
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
| 16 | Harding University | Searcy, AR |
| 17 | Shenandoah University | Winchester, VA |
| 18 | University of Central Florida | Orlando, FL |
| 19 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 20 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 21 | Virginia Commonwealth University | Richmond, VA |
| 22 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 23 | Lipscomb University | Nashville, TN |
| 24 | University of Alabama at Birmingham | Birmingham, AL |
Explore the best drama & theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 225 | 533 |
| Georgia | 224 | 388 |
| Tennessee | 220 | 193 |
| North Carolina | 213 | 472 |
| Virginia | 213 | 371 |
| South Carolina | 195 | 161 |
| Kentucky | 187 | 169 |
| Alabama | 184 | 133 |
| Louisiana | 171 | 153 |
| Mississippi | 169 | 44 |
| Arkansas | 167 | 93 |
| West Virginia | 147 | 44 |
Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theater Arts | 2,179 |
| Musical Theater | 171 |
| Theater Design & Technology | 156 |
| Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft | 95 |
| Acting | 89 |
| Playwriting & Screenwriting | 28 |
| Theatre Literature, History & Criticism | 27 |
| Directing & Theatrical Production | 8 |
| Costume Design | 1 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 5,527 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 3,988 |
| Music | 3,652 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,280 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 1,389 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,351 |
| Dance | 492 |
| Other Visual Art | 75 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 26 |
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