2024 Best Theater Arts Schools
404
Colleges in the United States
11,385
Theater Degrees Awarded
Ranked #70 in popularity,
theater arts is one of the most sought-after degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
College Factual looked at 404 colleges and universities when compiling its 2024 Best Theater Arts Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 11,385 degrees in theater arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Theater Arts School
Your choice of theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for theater arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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.
Pick Your Theater Arts Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Theater Arts Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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 Theater Arts in the United States
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. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
25 Top Schools in Theater
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IL
106
Theater Degrees Awarded
It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a degree in theater arts. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were approximately 106 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Northwestern University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
48
Theater Degrees Awarded
University of Southern California is a good choice for students interested in a degree in theater arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were approximately 48 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IN
58
Theater Degrees Awarded
University of Notre Dame is a great choice for students interested in a degree in theater arts. Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were approximately 58 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Notre Dame
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In PA
50
Theater Degrees Awarded
Carnegie Mellon University is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in theater arts. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #9 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.
There were approximately 50 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Carnegie Mellon University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In NY
337
Theater Degrees Awarded
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #27 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 337 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from New York University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In GA
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Atlanta. This university ranks 2nd out of 68 colleges for overall quality in the state of Georgia.
There were about 7 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Emory University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
8th
Most Popular In NY
42
Theater Degrees Awarded
Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.
There were about 42 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Columbia University in the City of New York
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In CT
Yale is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New Haven. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Yale is a great university overall.
There were roughly 7 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Yale in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Yale University
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 6th out of 63 colleges for overall quality in the state of Massachusetts.
There were roughly 21 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Boston University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
41
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 41 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Berkeley
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
19th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 26 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Chapman University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
40
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 40 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Loyola Marymount University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In MI
43
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 1st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were roughly 43 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
87
Theater Degrees Awarded
UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were approximately 87 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
4th
Most Popular In CT
UCONN is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Storrs. This university ranks 2nd out of 28 schools for overall quality in the state of Connecticut.
There were approximately 23 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCONN in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Connecticut
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
117
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 15th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 117 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Irvine
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
6th
Most Popular In TX
38
Theater Degrees Awarded
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. This university ranks 2nd out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.
There were about 38 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from The University of Texas at Austin
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In FL
68
Theater Degrees Awarded
UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville. This university ranks 1st out of 77 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.
There were roughly 68 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Florida
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In CA
43
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 43 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - San Diego
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In IA
37
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 37 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Iowa
UW - Madison is a very large public university located in the large city of Madison. This university ranks 1st out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were about 26 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 theater arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In NH
Located in the remote town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #25 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Dartmouth is a great college overall.
There were approximately 8 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Dartmouth in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Dartmouth College
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
15th
Most Popular In NC
Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.
There were roughly 5 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Duke University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
5th
Most Popular In OH
Located in the large city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 5th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 19 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Saint Louis. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.
There were about 13 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Washington University in St Louis