2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2019-2020, 18,124 people earned their degree in drama and theater arts, making the major the 59th most popular in the United States. In 2017-2018, drama and theater arts graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $21,403 and had an average of $26,932 in loans still to pay off.
Across the Southwest region, there were 1,377 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,362 and $23,453 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 1,072 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $38,896 and $23,899 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 39 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent drama and theater arts programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.
Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k
The colleges and universities below are the best for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in the Southwest Region
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Edinburg, Texas, this large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Rio Grande Valley has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $2,993 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Rio Grande Valley.
The student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UT Rio Grande Valley
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Texas. It ranked #2 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UNT is located in Denton, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 62 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UNT did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #7 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,521 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UNT.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Woman’s University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 11 degrees to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
TWU also took the #11 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $6,706 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas Woman’s University.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of Texas at Austin. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UT Austin is a large public school situated in Austin, Texas. It awarded 37 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, UT Austin has also earned the #1 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $12,203 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UT Austin.
The student loan default rate at the school is 2.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 97%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Texas Tech University. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k. Texas Tech is a public institution located in Lubbock, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 23 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas Tech did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for Texas Tech University is $12,317 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
University of Arizona did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #6. This large school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 57 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Arizona also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #9. The yearly cost to attend University of Arizona is $10,562 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Arizona
With a ranking of #7, University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. USAO is a public institution located in Chickasha, Oklahoma. The school has a small population, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma is $5,506 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma
With a ranking of #8, Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Arizona State University - Tempe is located in Tempe, Arizona and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 57 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
ASU - Tempe also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #14. The yearly cost to attend Arizona State University - Tempe is $7,044 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe
With a ranking of #9, Oklahoma State University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and it awarded 7 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, OSU has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,669 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Oklahoma State University - Main Campus.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.
Full Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report
Texas State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Texas State is a large public school situated in San Marcos, Texas. It awarded 143 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Texas State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $11,125 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas State.
University of Houston did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #11. UH is a large public school situated in Houston, Texas. It awarded 28 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UH did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The yearly cost to attend UH is $10,203 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%.
With a ranking of #12, Stephen F Austin State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFASU is a fairly large school located in Nacogdoches, Texas that handed out 32 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
SFASU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. It costs about $8,650 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend SFASU.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Stephen F Austin State University
West Texas A&M University landed the #13 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Canyon, Texas, and it awarded 20 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at West Texas A&M University, the school also landed the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. It costs about $8,730 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend West Texas A&M University.
With a ranking of #14, The University of Texas at El Paso did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. UTEP is a public institution located in El Paso, Texas. The school has a large population, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $7,092 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at El Paso.
Sam Houston State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This large school is located in Huntsville, Texas, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at SHSU, the school also landed the #12 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sam Houston State University is $10,561 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Sam Houston State University Drama & Theater Arts Report
Texas A&M University - Commerce came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. This fairly large school is located in Commerce, Texas, and it awarded 9 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, Texas A&M Commerce has also earned the #25 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Texas A&M University - Commerce is $10,013 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full Texas A&M University - Commerce Drama & Theater Arts Report
New Mexico State University - Main Campus came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Las Cruces, New Mexico, this fairly large public school awarded 10 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s theater students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend NMSU Main Campus is $6,896 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Full New Mexico State University - Main Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report
Northeastern State University landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. NSU is a public institution located in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 5 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.
The estimated yearly cost for Northeastern State University is $7,614 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
With a ranking of #19, Northern Arizona University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Flagstaff, Arizona is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 18 students in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend Northern Arizona University is $9,251 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Northern Arizona University
With a ranking of #20, Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This medium-sized school is located in Portales, New Mexico, and it awarded 2 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
The yearly cost to attend ENMU - Main Campus is $8,115 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Eastern New Mexico University - Main Campus
Oklahoma City University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #21. OCU is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 50 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
As a testament to the quality of education offered at OCU, the school also landed the #13 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Oklahoma City University is $17,214 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
The student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The low student loan default rate of 3.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #22, The University of Texas at Arlington did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Arlington, Texas, and it awarded 30 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
It costs about $11,811 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend The University of Texas at Arlington.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at The University of Texas at Arlington
University of Central Oklahoma came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Central Oklahoma is located in Edmond, Oklahoma and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 24 bachelors’s theater degrees to qualified students.
It costs about $12,297 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UCO.
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. University of Oklahoma Norman Campus is a large public school situated in Norman, Oklahoma. It awarded 50 bachelors’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Oklahoma not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #8 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list. The estimated yearly cost for University of Oklahoma is $16,675 for southwest region bachelor’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Drama & Theater Arts Report
Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Bachelor’s in the Southwest Region For Those Making $0-$30k list. Corpus Christi, Texas is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s theater degrees to 26 students in 2019-2020.
Texas A&M Corpus Christi also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Southwest Region” list, coming in at #17. It costs about $15,501 for Southwest Region Bachelor’s Degree Theater students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Texas A&M Corpus Christi
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Notes and References
References
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
Credits
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.
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