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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey

10 Colleges in New Jersey
210 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,105 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #59 in the country in terms of popularity. 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 Schools in New Jersey ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 210 degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in New Jersey Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Drama & Theater Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater

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 Schools in New Jersey list to help you make the college decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in New Jersey

The schools below may not offer all types of theater degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top New Jersey Schools in Theater

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,406 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts has to take a look at Rutgers University - New Brunswick. Located in the small city of New Brunswick, Rutgers New Brunswick is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #98 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Rutgers University - New Brunswick receive an earnings boost of around $5,300 above the typical income of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
62 Theater Degrees Awarded
$21,829 Median Starting Salary

Montclair State University is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #346 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 62 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients typically earn an average of $21,829 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ

Rowan University is a great decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Rowan is a large public university located in the large suburb of Glassboro. A Best Colleges rank of #329 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Rowan is a great university overall.

There were approximately 19 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Rowan in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $20,757.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NJ

Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts needs to look into New Jersey Institute of Technology. NJIT is a large public school located in the city of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #122 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NJIT is a great school overall.

There were about 3 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NJIT in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from New Jersey Institute of Technology

5
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$19,787 Median Starting Salary
$23,875 Median Student Debt

Kean is a large public university located in the suburb of Union. This university ranks 22nd out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 17 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Kean 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 $19,787.

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

6

Located in the city of Camden, Rutgers Camden is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 15th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were approximately 8 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Camden in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at Rutgers University - Camden earn $2,188 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Rutgers University - Camden

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,370 Median Starting Salary
$20,422 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Mahwah, Ramapo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 20th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 10 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Ramapo College in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $21,370 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ramapo College of New Jersey

8

Rutgers Newark is a large public university located in the large city of Newark. A Best Colleges rank of #263 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Rutgers Newark is a great university overall.

There were roughly 5 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Newark in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at Rutgers University - Newark get $2,188 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Rutgers University - Newark

9
Seton Hall crest
Seton Hall University
South Orange, NJ

Located in the large suburb of South Orange, Seton Hall is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 10th out of 44 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Seton Hall University

9
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In NJ

Located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville, Rider is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 12th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 3 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Rider in the most recent data year.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 754
New York 333 2,536
Maryland 279 179
District of Columbia 188 67

View All Rankings >

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 198
Theater Design & Technology 6
Acting 3
Directing & Theatrical Production 3

View All Theater Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 821
Music 593
Design & Applied Arts 585
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 183
General Visual & Performing Arts 180
Dance 92
Arts & Media Management 21
Other Visual Art 2

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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