2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California
32
Colleges in California
2,809
Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,179
Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in
drama & theater arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #59 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.
College Factual reviewed 32 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. Combined, these schools handed out 2,809 degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School
The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts rankings. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for drama & theater arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Pick Your Drama & Theater Arts Degree Level
The theater 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 Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California.
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 Drama & Theater Arts in California
Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the theater degree levels they offer.
10 Top California Schools in Theater
University of Southern California is a good decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 175 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $21,548.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Southern California
It's hard to beat Chapman University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Chapman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were about 114 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent year we have data available. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from Chapman University receive $2,465 more than the standard theater graduate.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Chapman University
American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
There were roughly 106 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $12,456 for their early career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles
University of California - Los Angeles is a great decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were about 94 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career wages of $19,673.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles
Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 29th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 151 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent data year. After graduation, theater degree recipients usually earn an average of $22,065 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Loyola Marymount University
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were roughly 66 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $16,373.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - San Diego
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were approximately 103 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients usually make around $20,461 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Irvine
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
25th
Most Popular In CA
Located in the suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.
There were roughly 15 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Pepperdine University
UC Berkeley is a fairly large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 32 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $22,610 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Berkeley
Located in the large suburb of Valencia, CalArts is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
There were roughly 52 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at CalArts in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at California Institute of the Arts earn $6,677 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from California Institute of the Arts
.jpg){kind=link}