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2025 Best Directing & Theatrical Production Schools

26 Colleges in the United States
232 Directing and Theatrical Production Degrees Awarded
Directing & Theatrical Production is about average in terms of popularity for degree programs. That is, it ranks #810 out of the 1506 majors across the country that we analyze each year. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

College Factual reviewed 26 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of directing & theatrical production. Combined, these schools handed out 232 degrees in directing & theatrical production to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Directing & Theatrical Production School

Best Directing & Theatrical Production Schools Your choice of directing & theatrical production school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for directing & theatrical production 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.

Pick Your Directing & Theatrical Production Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Directing and Theatrical Production
Master's Degrees in Directing and Theatrical Production

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Directing & Theatrical Production Schools ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Directing & Theatrical Production in the United States

The schools below may not offer all types of directing and theatrical production degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Schools in Directing and Theatrical Production

1
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
37.5% Growth in Graduates

Emerson College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in directing & theatrical production. Emerson is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the city of Boston. A Best Colleges rank of #127 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Emerson is a great college overall.

There were about 8 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Emerson in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Emerson College

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In PA
12.5% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Carnegie Mellon University if you want to pursue a degree in directing & theatrical production. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 8 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Carnegie Mellon University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IL

It is difficult to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a degree in directing & theatrical production. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Northwestern University

4
Boston U crest
Boston University
Boston, MA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In MA
44.4% Growth in Graduates

Boston University is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in directing & theatrical production. Located in the large city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #23 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Boston U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 9 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Boston University

5
Brown crest
Brown University
Providence, RI
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In RI

Brown is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Providence. A Best Colleges rank of #26 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Brown is a great university overall.

There were about 2 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Brown University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In NY

Located in the large city of New York, MMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 35th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 5 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at MMC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Marymount Manhattan College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In WA

UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were roughly 6 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In IA

Located in the small city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were approximately 1 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from University of Iowa

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 2 directing & theatrical production students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from University of California - San Diego

10
Belmont crest
Belmont University
Nashville, TN

Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 41 colleges for overall quality in the state of Tennessee.More information about a degree in directing & theatrical production from Belmont University

Directing & Theatrical Production by Region

View the Best Directing & Theatrical Production Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 11 majors within the Drama & Theater Arts area of study, Directing & Theatrical Production has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 11,323
Acting 1,686
Musical Theater 1,196
Theater Design & Technology 1,072
Playwriting & Screenwriting 814
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 478
Theatre and Dance 96
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 54
Costume Design 47
Comedy Writing and Performance 41

View All Directing and Theatrical Production Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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