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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Ohio

13 Colleges in Ohio
522 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,179 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Ohio ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 522 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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Ohio 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. For our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that 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

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in Ohio list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in Ohio

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the theater degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Ohio Schools in Theater

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,070 Median Starting Salary

University of Cincinnati - Main Campus is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. UC is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were roughly 96 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of about $2,891 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Theater Degrees Awarded
23.9% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at Kent State University at Kent. Kent State is a very large public university located in the suburb of Kent. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 67 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Kent State University at Kent earn a boost of around $2,386 over the average income of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Kent State University at Kent

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,920 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to look into Ohio State University - Main Campus. Ohio State is a very large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $23,920 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Theater Degrees Awarded
$18,724 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to check out Ohio University - Athens Campus. OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the town of Athens. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were about 44 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career wages of $18,724.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
31 Theater Degrees Awarded
$16,055 Median Starting Salary

Baldwin Wallace College is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Berea. This university ranks 25th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 31 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Baldwin Wallace College in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients usually earn around $16,055 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Baldwin Wallace University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,434 Median Starting Salary

Miami University - Oxford is a large public university located in the fringe town of Oxford. A Best Colleges rank of #134 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Miami University - Oxford is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients generally earn an average of $22,434 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Miami University - Oxford

7
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH

Located in the town of Oberlin, Oberlin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #517 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Oberlin is a great college overall.

There were roughly 15 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $12,441 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Oberlin College

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,900 Median Starting Salary

BGSU is a fairly large public university located in the fringe town of Bowling Green. This university ranks 18th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 20 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients typically make an average of $21,900 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

9
Otterbein crest
Otterbein University
Westerville, OH

Located in the large suburb of Westerville, Otterbein is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 41st out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were roughly 20 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Otterbein in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients generally earn about $12,546 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Otterbein University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In OH
16.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the fringe town of Ada, ONU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 33rd out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 12 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ONU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ohio Northern University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 364
Illinois 304 855
Indiana 294 315
Wisconsin 273 259

View All Rankings >

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

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 267
Acting 89
Theater Design & Technology 80
Musical Theater 36
Playwriting & Screenwriting 19
Directing & Theatrical Production 19
Theatre and Dance 12

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,960
Music 1,125
Fine & Studio Arts 741
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 364
General Visual & Performing Arts 205
Arts & Media Management 143
Dance 102
Other Visual Art 17
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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