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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

71 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
2,364 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,388 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 71 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,364 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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region 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. For our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in the Great Lakes Region

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the theater degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

10 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Theater Degrees Awarded
4.8% Growth in Graduates

Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 124 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients typically earn an average of $23,935 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
58 Theater Degrees Awarded
$41,882 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at University of Notre Dame. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 58 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at University of Notre Dame earn $19,494 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Notre Dame

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Theater Degrees Awarded
13.9% Growth in Graduates

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 72 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $24,105 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI
15.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Wisconsin - Madison is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 26 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Theater Degrees Awarded
$27,520 Median Starting Salary

UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #166 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were about 112 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus get an earnings boost of around $5,132 over the typical income of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Theater Degrees Awarded
$27,116 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #34 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get $4,728 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

7

Purdue is a very large public university located in the city of West Lafayette. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Purdue is a great university overall.

There were approximately 30 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Purdue University - Main Campus get an earnings boost of approximately $2,614 above the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Purdue University - Main Campus

8
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Theater Degrees Awarded
4.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 7th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 94 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from DePaul University earn a boost of around $2,909 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from DePaul University

9
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,128 Median Starting Salary

Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.

There were about 41 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Michigan State in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients usually make an average of $24,128 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Michigan State University

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,854 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 16th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were roughly 155 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career income of $20,854.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Drama & Theater Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
12 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
13 University of Evansville Evansville, IN
14 Millikin University Decatur, IL
15 Illinois State University Normal, IL
16 Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH
17 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 364
Ohio 314 523
Illinois 304 855
Indiana 294 315
Wisconsin 273 259

View All Rankings >

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

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 1,485
Acting 251
Musical Theater 207
Theater Design & Technology 196
Directing & Theatrical Production 57
Playwriting & Screenwriting 55
Comedy Writing and Performance 42
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 35
Theatre and Dance 22
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 12

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 5,375
Fine & Studio Arts 4,583
Music 4,060
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,727
Arts & Media Management 602
General Visual & Performing Arts 413
Dance 358
Other Visual Art 108
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 32

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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