2026 Best Theater Design & Technology Schools in Illinois
Theater Design & Technology is a field worth a close look when choosing where to study. While the number of schools offering the program varies, there are still top-quality ones to be found.
College Factual analyzed 9 schools to build this 2026 ranking of the best theater design & technology schools.
What’s on this page:
Best Schools for Theater Design & Technology in Illinois
If you are not interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the theater design & technology degrees they offer, see the list below.
Top Schools in Theater Design & Technology
Depaul University tops our 2026 ranking of the best theater design & technology schools. Depaul University is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago. Depaul University graduates 68% of students within six years. There were roughly 29 theater design & technology students who graduated with this degree at Depaul University in the most recent data year. Students who receive their theater design & technology degree from Depaul University earn around $23,592 in the first couple years of their career. Students borrow a median of $26,348 to complete this degree.
More information about a degree in theater design & technology from Depaul University
Columbia College Chicago is one of the finest schools in the country for a degree in theater design & technology, ranking #2. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia College Chicago is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university. The six-year graduation rate is 52%. Columbia College Chicago awarded about 11 theater design & technology degrees in the most recent data year. Graduates of the theater design & technology program make about $17,929 in their early career. Columbia College Chicago graduates carry a median of $26,977 in student loans.
See the full theater design & technology program report for Columbia College Chicago
More Theater Design & Technology Rankings
View All Theater Design & Technology Rankings >
Notes and References
The ranking above is published by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on a blend of student outcomes (graduation rate, post-graduation earnings), affordability, and program focus, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Top Ranked · 9 schools evaluated.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
More about our data sources and methodologies.
