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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina

19 Colleges in North Carolina
4,508 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,820 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 19 schools in North Carolina to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 4,508 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina 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

The visual & performing 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 Visual & Performing Arts Schools in North Carolina. 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 North Carolina

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.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$38,636 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts needs to take a look at Duke University. Duke is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Durham. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Duke University earn $13,816 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
124 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$22,476 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts needs to look into University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #43 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were roughly 124 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally earn around $22,476 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
245 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,687 Median Starting Salary

University of North Carolina School of the Arts is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Winston Salem, UNCSA is a public university with a small student population.

There were roughly 245 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCSA in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $25,687.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
125 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,313 Median Starting Salary

North Carolina State University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means NC State is a great university overall.

There were about 125 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at NC State in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from North Carolina State University earn $9,493 more than the average visual & performing arts student.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from North Carolina State University

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
757 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$20,031 Median Starting Salary

Wake Technical Community College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Raleigh. This college ranks 13th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 757 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Wake Technical Community College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients usually make about $20,031 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Wake Technical Community College

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
284 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$21,656 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the town of Boone. A Best Colleges rank of #445 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Appalachian State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 284 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career wages of $21,656.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

UNC Charlotte is a very large public university located in the large city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #378 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 145 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career wages of $24,761.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

8
Meredith crest
Meredith College
Raleigh, NC
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,843 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Raleigh, Meredith is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #517 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Meredith is a great college overall.

There were approximately 43 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Meredith in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Meredith College receive $10,023 more than the average visual & performing arts grad.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Meredith College

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
180 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
48.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 19th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 180 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Central Piedmont Community College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make around $20,735 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Central Piedmont Community College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
159 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$30,426 Median Starting Salary

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the city of Wilmington. A Best Colleges rank of #457 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UNCW is a great university overall.

There were about 159 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of North Carolina at Wilmington earn a boost of about $5,606 above the typical earnings of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
West Virginia 38 405
Mississippi 38 695
South Carolina 38 1,353
Florida 38 7,266
Virginia 38 3,458
Arkansas 38 821
Alabama 37 1,138
Kentucky 37 1,060
Georgia 37 4,303
Tennessee 37 2,628
Louisiana 37 1,147

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 2,174
Fine & Studio Arts 725
Music 511
Drama & Theater Arts 498
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 261
Dance 125
Arts & Media Management 119
General Visual & Performing Arts 73
Other Visual Art 12
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 10

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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