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2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

9 Ranked Colleges
101 Degrees Awarded
$22,000 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees*
Best Value Theater Schools for a Master's in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Drama & Theater Arts is the 59th most popular major in the country with 18,124 degrees awarded in 2019-2020. 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 Illinois, there were 844 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $21,300 and $27,875 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 101 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $57,267 and $46,814 respectively.

For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, we looked at 9 colleges that offer a degree in drama and theater arts. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great drama and theater arts programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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 Master’s in Illinois 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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for illinois master’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 9 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (Income $0-$30k) in Illinois

#1

Northwestern University

Evanston, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwestern University. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Evanston, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 21 students in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Northwestern, the school also landed the #1 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Northwestern are $56,567, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northwestern Drama & Theater Arts Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. UIUC is a public institution located in Champaign, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our illinois master’s degree theater students whose families make $0-$30k list, UIUC has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Drama & Theater Arts Report

#3

Northern Illinois University

Dekalb, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northern Illinois University. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Northern Illinois University is a fairly large public school situated in Dekalb, Illinois. It awarded 2 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

NIU also took the #0 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at NIU are $11,086, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Northern Illinois University Drama & Theater Arts Report

#4

Illinois State University

Normal, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Illinois State University. It ranked #4 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Illinois State University is a public institution located in Normal, Illinois. The school has a large population, and it awarded 7 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Illinois State also took the #4 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Illinois State are $11,069.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University

#7 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Southern Illinois University Carbondale. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 3 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at SIUC, the school also landed the #7 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at SIUC are $32,928, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at SIUC

#6

Western Illinois University

Macomb, Illinois

With a ranking of #6, Western Illinois University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. WIU is a medium-sized school located in Macomb, Illinois that handed out 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at WIU, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western Illinois University are $11,996, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Western Illinois University

#7

Roosevelt University

Chicago, Illinois

Roosevelt University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Roosevelt University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2019-2020.

Roosevelt not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Roosevelt University are $21,605.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at Roosevelt University

#8

Columbia College Chicago

Chicago, Illinois
#6 in overall quality

Columbia College Chicago came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Columbia College Chicago is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 12 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.

Columbia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Columbia College Chicago are $2,350, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Full Columbia Drama & Theater Arts Report

#9

DePaul University

Chicago, Illinois

DePaul University ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s in Illinois For Those Making $0-$30k list. Located in Chicago, Illinois, this large private not-for-profit school awarded 26 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.

DePaul also took the #3 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools in Illinois” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at DePaul University are $19,760.

Full DePaul Drama & Theater Arts Report

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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.

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