2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California
39
Colleges in California
3,040
Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,344
Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in
drama & theater arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #59 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
College Factual reviewed 39 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,040 degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School
The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for drama & theater arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Drama & Theater Arts Degree Level
The theater school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
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.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the theater degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Theater
University of Southern California is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 175 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Southern California get an earnings boost of approximately $5,483 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Southern California
Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts has to take a look at University of California - Berkeley. UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were roughly 41 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of California - Berkeley earn $6,723 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Berkeley
University of California - Los Angeles is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 87 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn an average of $25,166 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles
It's difficult to beat Loyola Marymount University if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
There were approximately 112 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make about $23,556 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Loyola Marymount University
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were approximately 129 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients usually make around $25,083 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Irvine
Chapman is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Orange. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 105 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Chapman University receive an earnings boost of about $2,034 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Chapman University
UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were about 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at University of California - San Diego make $4,776 more than the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - San Diego
Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were about 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $25,006 for their early career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Davis
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were about 36 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career earnings of $24,656.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Santa Barbara
Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #94 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.
There were about 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $23,856 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Pepperdine University