When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major” ranking.
In 2021-2022, 1,686 people earned their degree in acting, making the major the 323rd most popular in the United States.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 142 acting graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,979 and $43,370 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in acting. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in acting.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The acting 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 “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major”.
In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree acting students.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major that were part of this year’s ranking, New York Film Academy landed the #2 spot on the list. New York Film Academy is located in Burbank, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Institute of the Arts landed the #3 spot on the list. California Institute of the Arts is a private not-for-profit institution located in Valencia, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 12 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 94%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major that were part of this year’s ranking, The Juilliard School landed the #4 spot on the list. This small school is located in New York, New York, and it awarded 8 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major. Academy of Art University is a medium-sized school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 3 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Columbia College Chicago ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #7, The New School did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Located in New York, New York, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 12 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Mississippi University for Women ranked #8 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Mississippi University for Women is a small public school situated in Columbus, Mississippi. It awarded 7 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of San Diego came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 7 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
George Washington University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. This large school is located in Washington, District of Columbia, and it awarded 16 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 91%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
DePaul University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. This large school is located in Chicago, Illinois, and it awarded 11 masters’s acting degrees in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - San Diego did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #12. Located in La Jolla, California, this large public school awarded 8 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
With a ranking of #13, Temple University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s acting degrees to 57 students in 2021-2022.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #14, University of Washington - Seattle Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major list. University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a public institution located in Seattle, Washington. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Read full report on Acting at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Ohio University - Athens Campus did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #15. OHIO Athens is a public institution located in Athens, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of Southern California did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking, coming in at #16. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 7 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Brigham Young University - Provo landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Brigham Young University - Provo is a private not-for-profit institution located in Provo, Utah. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Yale University came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Yale is located in New Haven, Connecticut and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 11 masters’s acting degrees to qualified students.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 98%.
Lindenwood University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Located in Saint Charles, Missouri, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 3 degrees to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Brown University landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Brown University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Providence, Rhode Island. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 11 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 98%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Catholic University of America came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Acting Major ranking. Located in Washington, District of Columbia, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s acting students in 2021-2022.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 88%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies