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

10 Colleges in Virginia
371 Bachelor's Degrees
$23,418 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #38 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 371 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Virginia The theater bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

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.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full 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.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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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 Virginia ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that 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.

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

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts.

10 Top Virginia Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1
10 Annual Graduates

University of Virginia - Main Campus is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Virginia - Main Campus

2
Virginia Tech crest
Virginia Tech
Blacksburg, VA
26 Annual Graduates
$24,637 Median Student Debt

Virginia Tech is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Blacksburg.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Virginia Tech

3
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
69 Annual Graduates
$22,508 Median Starting Salary
$18,500 Median Student Debt

James Madison 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 Harrisonburg, JMU 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 $22,508 in the first couple years of their career.

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

4
Shenandoah crest
Shenandoah University
Winchester, VA
40 Annual Graduates
$22,164 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Shenandoah University is a wonderful choice for students interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients generally earn around $22,164 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
49 Annual Graduates
$22,092 Median Starting Salary
$21,875 Median Student Debt

VCU is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Richmond.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $22,092 in the first couple years of working.

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

6
36 Annual Graduates
$25,883 Median Starting Salary
$27,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population.

Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from George Mason University earn a boost of about $2,465 above the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

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

7
Regent crest
Regent University
Virginia Beach, VA
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Virginia Beach, Regent is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Regent University

8
Radford crest
Radford University
Radford, VA
13 Annual Graduates
$25,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the small suburb of Radford, Radford is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Radford University

9
24 Annual Graduates
$24,443 Median Starting Salary
$25,500 Median Student Debt

Old Dominion is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Norfolk.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program report average early career income of $24,443.

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

10
Liberty University crest
Liberty University
Lynchburg, VA
24 Annual Graduates

Liberty University is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Lynchburg.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Liberty University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 533
Georgia 224 388
Tennessee 220 193
North Carolina 213 472
South Carolina 195 161
Kentucky 187 169
Alabama 184 133
Louisiana 171 153
Mississippi 169 44
Arkansas 167 93
West Virginia 147 44

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One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Drama & Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Theater Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 314
Musical Theater 27
Acting 18
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 6
Theater Design & Technology 5
Directing & Theatrical Production 1

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 640
Design & Applied Arts 635
Music 453
General Visual & Performing Arts 216
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 175
Dance 51
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 26
Arts & Media Management 3

Notes and References

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