2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. 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 Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking is part of that endeavor.

In 2019-2020, 6,359 people earned their degree in general visual and performing arts, making the major the 125th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, general visual and performing arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $24,577 and had an average of $26,968 in loans still to pay off.

Across California, there were 1,292 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,800 and $23,419 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 84 general visual and performing arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in general visual and performing arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great general visual and performing arts programs and cost less that 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 general visual and performing arts program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” list to help you make the college decision.

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. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#4 in overall quality

$17,723 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is a large public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 19 masters’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State LA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Los Angeles

#2

University of California - Riverside

Riverside, California

$28,686 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Riverside landed the #2 spot on the list. University of California - Riverside is a public institution located in Riverside, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

UCR also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #0. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Riverside are $28,686, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full UCR General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#3

University of California - San Diego

La Jolla, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,631 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$14,442 Average Early-Career Earnings

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. University of California - San Diego is a large school located in La Jolla, California that handed out 9 masters’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at UCSD, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSD are $28,631, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full UCSD General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#4

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#1 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 15 degrees to qualified masters’s visual arts students in 2019-2020.

USC also made our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at USC are $48,715.

Full USC General Visual & Performing Arts Report

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, California

#2 in overall quality

$27,688 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

$32,925 Average Early-Career Earnings

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Visual Arts Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This medium-sized school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 37 masters’s visual arts degrees in 2019-2020.

Academy of Art University also took the #2 spot in our “Best General Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Academy of Art University are $27,688, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Full Academy of Art University General Visual & Performing Arts Report

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for General Visual & Performing Arts (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0.

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