College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2024 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

15 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
429 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,172 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 Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 429 degrees in general visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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 Great Lakes 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

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

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

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
38 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,110 Median Starting Salary

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater is a wonderful choice for students interested in a degree in general visual & performing arts. UW - Whitewater is a fairly large public university located in the town of Whitewater. A Best Colleges rank of #359 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UW - Whitewater is a great university overall.

There were approximately 38 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Whitewater in the most recent year we have data available. General Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater earn a boost of about $3,938 above the typical earnings of general visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OH
10.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Ohio University - Athens Campus if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #239 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were roughly 28 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
35.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Wisconsin - Stout if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. UW - Stout is a medium-sized public university located in the town of Menomonie. This university ranks 11th out of 46 colleges for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.

There were roughly 31 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Stout in the most recent data year. After graduating, visual arts degree recipients usually make around $25,267 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Wisconsin - Stout

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL
11.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in general visual & performing arts needs to take a look at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

There were approximately 18 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from School of the Art Institute of Chicago

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Michigan State is a great university overall.More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Michigan State University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IN

Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #274 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.

There were about 7 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis

7
Central Michigan crest
Central Michigan University
Mount Pleasant, MI
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In MI
71.4% Growth in Graduates

Central Michigan is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Mount Pleasant. This university ranks 10th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.

There were roughly 7 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Central Michigan in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Central Michigan University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In IL

UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UIC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 11 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Illinois at Chicago

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In MI

U-M is a very large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$26,939 Median Starting Salary
$63,396 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Columbus, CCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 12 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CCAD in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the general visual & performing arts degree program at Columbus College of Art and Design get $2,767 above the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best general visual & performing arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

StateCollegesDegrees Awarded
Michigan32210
Ohio31467
Illinois30462
Indiana29426
Wisconsin27378

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

MajorAnnual Graduates
Digital Arts232
Visual & Performing Arts197

View All Visual Arts Focus Areas >

Related MajorAnnual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts5,430
Fine & Studio Arts4,323
Music3,842
Drama & Theater Arts2,285
Film, Video & Photographic Arts1,712
Arts & Media Management601
Dance342
Other Visual Art78
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry11

View All Visual Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options