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

82 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
28,715 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,203 Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 82 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of visual & performing arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 28,715 degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2020-2021 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region The visual & performing arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for visual & performing 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.

Visual & Performing Arts Rankings by Degree Level

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

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 Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision. 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 Visual & Performing Arts in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of visual & performing arts 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.

12 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1,000 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,798 Median Starting Salary

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #11 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1000 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from University of Southern California receive $4,594 more than the typical visual & performing arts student.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
285 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,952 Median Starting Salary

University of California - Berkeley is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. 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 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.

There were about 285 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of California - Berkeley get an earnings boost of around $2,748 over the typical income of visual & performing arts majors.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
352 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
0.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to check out University of Washington - Seattle Campus. UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #37 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 352 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus earn a boost of approximately $5,452 above the average income of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
581 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
6.5% Growth in Graduates

University of California - Los Angeles is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. UCLA is a very large public university located in the 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 roughly 581 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn an average of $26,313 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Los Angeles

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
389 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,071 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 32nd out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 389 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $28,071 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Chapman University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
515 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
17.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #61 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were about 515 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $24,888 for their early career.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
398 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,997 Median Starting Salary

UCSB is a very large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.

There were approximately 398 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make an average of $23,997 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of California - Santa Barbara

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
320 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,983 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 320 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at FIDM Los Angeles in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make around $27,983 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
290 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,918 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 20th out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 290 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally earn about $26,918 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Loyola Marymount University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
269 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,461 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 269 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn around $26,461 in the first five years of their career.

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

11
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
454 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,273 Median Starting Salary

UC Davis is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Davis. A Best Colleges rank of #52 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.

There were roughly 454 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year. After graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally earn about $26,273 in their early careers.

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

12
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
495 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$38,914 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 23rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 495 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at San Jose State in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from San Jose State University get an earnings boost of about $11,710 over the typical income of visual & performing arts graduates.

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

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Visual & Performing Arts students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
13 American Film Institute Conservatory Los Angeles, CA
14 California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo, CA
15 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
16 California State University - Long Beach Long Beach, CA
17 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
18 San Francisco Conservatory of Music San Francisco, CA
19 San Francisco State University San Francisco, CA
20 California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 38 22,287
Washington 37 1,718
Oregon 37 1,654
Hawaii 36 196
Nevada 35 553
Alaska 33 60

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

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
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,301
Dance 649
Arts & Media Management 382
Other Visual Art 111
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 14

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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Degree Guides by Major
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