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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

16 Colleges in Pennsylvania
636 Master's Degrees
$37,447 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your master's degree in visual & performing arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #10 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 16 schools in Pennsylvania to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a master's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 636 master's degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School for Your Master's Degree

Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania Your choice of visual & performing arts for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality visual & performing arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of master's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their master's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for visual & performing arts students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Visual & Performing Arts in Pennsylvania

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in visual & performing arts.

10 Top Pennsylvania Schools for a Master's in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you want to pursue a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Carnegie Mellon University

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
23 Annual Graduates

University of Pennsylvania is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of Pennsylvania

3
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Annual Graduates

Messiah University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Messiah University

4
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
121 Annual Graduates

Temple University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Temple University

5
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Drexel University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
22 Annual Graduates

WCUPA is a large public university located in the large suburb of West Chester.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from West Chester University of Pennsylvania

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
27 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Philadelphia, PAFA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

8
UArts crest
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Philadelphia, UArts is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from The University of the Arts

9
Villanova crest
Villanova University
Villanova, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
17 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Villanova, Villanova is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Villanova University

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 35 2,756
New Jersey 32 150
Maryland 32 434
District of Columbia 32 160
Delaware 24 33

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Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Music 225
Fine & Studio Arts 115
Arts & Media Management 97
Drama & Theater Arts 88
Design & Applied Arts 73
Dance 19
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 11
General Visual & Performing Arts 8

Notes and References

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