2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Illinois
13
Colleges in Illinois
916
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 13 schools in Illinois to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. Combined, these schools handed out 916 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 Illinois.
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 Illinois
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 Illinois Schools in Theater
Northwestern University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.
There were about 118 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career income of $19,515.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University
Columbia College Chicago is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #212 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Columbia is a great college overall.
There were about 145 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $17,929 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago
DePaul University is a wonderful decision for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were about 111 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $22,970 for their early career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from DePaul University
Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts has to look into University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #41 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UIUC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIUC in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign get an earnings boost of about $2,213 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UIC is a very large public university located in the city of Chicago. This university ranks 10th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 34 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UIC in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $14,938 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Chicago
Millikin is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Decatur. This university ranks 40th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 63 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Millikin in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients typically earn around $24,013 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Millikin University
Located in the city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 18th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 23 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois Wesleyan in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make about $19,490 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Illinois Wesleyan University
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #210 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Illinois State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 82 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at Illinois State University make $6,779 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Illinois State University
Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 24th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 46 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Roosevelt 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 income of $21,001.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Roosevelt University
Located in the city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 32nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 23 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at North Central in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $20,416 for their early career.
More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from North Central College
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