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2024 Best Value Colleges for Theater Arts in Massachusetts

16 Ranked Colleges
326 Degrees Awarded
$28,700 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts

Students have lots of options to chooose from today when trying to decide which college to attend. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts” ranking is part of that endeavor.

Theater Arts is the 70th most popular major in the country with 11,385 degrees awarded in 2020-2021.

Across Massachusetts, there were 326 theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts” ranking looked at 16 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the theater arts program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

More Ways to Rank 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 Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts

The colleges and universities below are the best for massachusetts theater students.

Top 16 Best Value Colleges for Theater Arts in Massachusetts

1
Salem State crest
Salem State University
Salem, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Salem State University. It ranked #1 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Salem State University is located in Salem, Massachusetts and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 20 ’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Salem State also made our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #8. The yearly cost to attend Salem State University is $19,017 for massachusetts theater students.

Full Salem State University Theater Arts Report

2
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University of Massachusetts Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst. It ranked #2 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. UMass Amherst is a public institution located in Amherst, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UMass Amherst did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” list. It costs about $22,038 for massachusetts theater students per year to attend University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full UMass Amherst Theater Arts Report

3
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Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Bridgewater State University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts. Bridgewater, Massachusetts is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s theater degrees to 11 students in 2020-2021.

Bridgewater State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #10 on our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” list. The estimated yearly cost for Bridgewater State is $18,951 for Massachusetts Theater students.

Read more about Theater Arts at Bridgewater State

4
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Gordon College
Wenham, Massachusetts

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Gordon College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts. Located in Wenham, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 diplomas to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Gordon College also took the #12 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Gordon College is $25,748 for massachusetts theater students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Gordon College Theater Arts Report

5

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. UMass Boston is a public institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 6 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UMass Boston, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $17,752 for Massachusetts Theater students per year to attend University of Massachusetts - Boston.

Full UMass Boston Theater Arts Report

6
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Clark University
Worcester, Massachusetts

Clark University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Worcester, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Clark, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Clark University is $27,233 for massachusetts theater students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Full Clark Theater Arts Report

7
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Suffolk University
Boston, Massachusetts

Suffolk University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 9 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Suffolk also took the #14 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Suffolk University is $30,995 for massachusetts theater students.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Suffolk

8
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Dean College
Franklin, Massachusetts

Dean College landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Dean College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Franklin, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 24 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts theater students list, Dean College has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $30,667 for Massachusetts Theater students per year to attend Dean College.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Dean College

9
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Emerson College
Boston, Massachusetts

Emerson College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Emerson is a medium-sized school located in Boston, Massachusetts that handed out 49 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts theater students list, Emerson has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $45,171 for Massachusetts Theater students per year to attend Emerson.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.2%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Emerson College

10
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Williams College
Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williams College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 8 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

Williams also took the #6 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Williams is $23,497 for Massachusetts Theater students.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.

Read more about Theater Arts at Williams

11
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Tufts University
Medford, Massachusetts

Tufts University ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Medford, Massachusetts is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s theater degrees to 12 students in 2020-2021.

Tufts also made our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #4. It costs about $37,494 for Massachusetts Theater students per year to attend Tufts University.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Tufts University Theater Arts Report

12
Northeastern crest
Northeastern University
Boston, Massachusetts

Northeastern University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Boston, Massachusetts, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 17 degrees to qualified ’s theater students in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts theater students list, Northeastern has also earned the #11 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Northeastern University is $29,714 for Massachusetts Theater students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 97%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Northeastern

13
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Smith College
Northampton, Massachusetts

Smith College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Smith is a small school located in Northampton, Massachusetts that handed out 10 ’s theater degrees in 2020-2021.

Smith also made our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend Smith College is $29,615 for massachusetts theater students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 95%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Smith College

14
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Brandeis University
Waltham, Massachusetts

Brandeis University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Brandeis is a private not-for-profit institution located in Waltham, Massachusetts. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 12 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts theater students list, Brandeis has also earned the #3 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $33,663 for massachusetts theater students per year to attend Brandeis University.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Brandeis

15
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University landed the #15 spot on the 2024 Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Boston U is a private not-for-profit institution located in Boston, Massachusetts. The school has a large population, and it awarded 21 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our massachusetts theater students list, Boston U has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. It costs about $30,395 for massachusetts theater students per year to attend Boston U.

With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Theater Arts at Boston U

16
Boston College crest
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

Boston College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Boston College is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 14 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Boston College, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Theater Arts Schools in Massachusetts” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Boston College is $36,599 for Massachusetts Theater students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Theater Arts at Boston College

Notes and References

References

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