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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina

10 Colleges in North Carolina
442 Bachelor's Degrees
$21,306 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #38 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 442 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina Your choice of drama & theater arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theater program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Theater Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in North Carolina list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in North Carolina

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for drama & theater arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top North Carolina Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1
90 Annual Graduates
$21,229 Median Starting Salary
$51,317 Median Student Debt

University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. UNCSA is a small public university located in the large city of Winston Salem.

After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients usually make around $21,229 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts

2

Elon University is a good choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the suburb of Elon, Elon is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Elon University make $3,039 more than the standard theater graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Elon University

3

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts has to take a look at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. UNC Chapel Hill is a very large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill.

Bachelor's recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill make $5,151 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

4

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. UNC Greensboro is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,154.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

5

Located in the distant town of Boone, Appalachian State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $20,256.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Appalachian State University

6

ECU is a very large public university located in the small city of Greenville.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $21,295 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from East Carolina University

7

Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program make about $18,052 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

8

Located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington, UNCW is a public university with a fairly large student population.

After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $20,450 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
30 Annual Graduates
$21,824 Median Starting Salary
$20,422 Median Student Debt

WCU is a large public university located in the town of Cullowhee.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $21,824 in their early career salary.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Western Carolina University

10

NC A&T is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Greensboro.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $20,996 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from North Carolina A & T State University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Florida 225 533
Georgia 224 388
Tennessee 220 193
Virginia 213 371
South Carolina 195 161
Kentucky 187 169
Alabama 184 133
Louisiana 171 153
Mississippi 169 44
Arkansas 167 93
West Virginia 147 44

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Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 316
Theater Design & Technology 70
Musical Theater 21
Acting 19
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 16

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 705
Design & Applied Arts 548
Music 363
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 190
Dance 115
Arts & Media Management 97
General Visual & Performing Arts 68
Other Visual Art 24

Notes and References

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