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2024 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

36 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,410 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,214 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 reviewed 36 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. Combined, these schools handed out 1,410 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 the Southwest Region Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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

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

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 the Southwest Region. 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 Southwest 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.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
102 Theater Degrees Awarded
46.1% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #36 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 102 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at The University of Texas at Austin earn $4,369 above the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Theater Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat Texas Christian University if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 32 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make about $19,428 for their early career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,629 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at University of Arizona. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #133 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were about 49 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $24,629 for their early career.

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

4
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Theater Degrees Awarded
$28,428 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Texas State University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Texas State is a very large public university located in the city of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #397 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were about 145 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at Texas State University get $3,214 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 Texas State University

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Theater Degrees Awarded
$23,185 Median Starting Salary

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #140 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 43 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career income of $23,185.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Theater Degrees Awarded
8.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #123 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 35 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career earnings of $17,218.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$19,854 Median Starting Salary

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 21 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients typically earn about $19,854 in their early careers.

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

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Theater Degrees Awarded
1.4% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #119 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 70 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Arizona State University - Tempe receive an earnings boost of around $2,794 over the average income of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

9
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Theater Degrees Awarded
12.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 4th out of 32 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 57 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OCU in the most recent data year. After graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn an average of $20,377 in the first five years of their career.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In OK
22.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #227 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 9 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent data year.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 982
Arizona 287 184
Oklahoma 257 188
New Mexico 219 40

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 1,089
Acting 117
Musical Theater 84
Theatre and Dance 54
Theater Design & Technology 44
Playwriting & Screenwriting 13
Costume Design 4
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 4
Directing & Theatrical Production 1

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,643
Design & Applied Arts 3,286
Music 2,896
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,036
General Visual & Performing Arts 844
Dance 413
Arts & Media Management 317
Other Visual Art 5
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 1

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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