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2024 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

15 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
1,301 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,844 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in general visual & performing arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #116 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,301 degrees in general visual & performing arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great General Visual & Performing Arts School

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of general visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall General Visual & Performing Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General Visual & Performing Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Visual Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Visual Arts
Master's Degrees in Visual Arts
Doctor's Degrees in Visual Arts

The visual arts 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 General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for General Visual & Performing Arts in the Far Western US 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 visual arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Visual Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
32.7% Growth in Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 49 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual arts program report average early career wages of $18,394.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Southern California

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$22,195 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat University of California - San Diego if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were about 99 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $22,195.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of California - San Diego

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
52 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
7.7% Growth in Graduates

Otis College of Art and Design is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were about 52 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent data year. General Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Otis College of Art and Design receive an earnings boost of approximately $10,687 above the average earnings of general visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Otis College of Art and Design

4
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,556 Median Starting Salary

Academy of Art University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 37th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 63 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general visual & performing arts major at Academy of Art University get $3,712 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Academy of Art University

5
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
18th Most Popular In CA
28.6% Growth in Graduates

USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #164 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 14 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of San Francisco

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
51st Most Popular In CA

San Jose State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of San Jose. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means San Jose State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 4 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from San Jose State University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,472 Median Starting Salary

CSUSM is a large public university located in the suburb of San Marcos. This university ranks 75th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 59 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, visual arts degree recipients usually make an average of $25,472 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from California State University - San Marcos

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
48 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded

Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa. This university ranks 43rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 48 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Azusa Pacific University

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
83rd Most Popular In CA

Located in the city of Riverside, UCR is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #213 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UCR is a great university overall.

There were roughly 1 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCR in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of California - Riverside

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
40.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized suburb of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 104th out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 20 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUCI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from California State University - Channel Islands

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best general visual & performing arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 1,152
Washington 300 13
Oregon 266 66
Nevada 192 20

View All Rankings >

General Visual & Performing Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Visual Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 992
Digital Arts 309

View All Visual Arts Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,646
Design & Applied Arts 5,956
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4,641
Music 4,440
Drama & Theater Arts 3,575
Dance 649
Arts & Media Management 382
Other Visual Art 111
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 14

View All Visual Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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