2022 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California (With Aid)

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. College Factual has developed its “Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking as one item you can use to help make this 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 California, there were 3,227 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $20,531 and $31,651 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 13 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in drama and theater arts. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality drama and theater arts programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the drama and theater arts program at the school. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid.

Top 5 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in California (With Aid)

#1

Stanford University

Stanford, California

#1 in overall quality

$55,011 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Stanford University. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Stanford, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 2 degrees to qualified doctorate’s theater students in 2019-2020.

Stanford did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Stanford University are $55,011.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Stanford

#2

University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,131 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Los Angeles landed the #2 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 2 doctorate’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCLA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of California - Los Angeles

#3

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#4 in overall quality

$28,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #3 spot on the list. UC Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Davis not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #4 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UC Davis

#4

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#2 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. Located in Berkeley, California, this large public school handed out 4 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s theater students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree theater students with aid list, UC Berkeley has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at UC Berkeley

#5

University of California - Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, California

#5 in overall quality

$28,670 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Doctorate in California For Those Getting Aid. This large school is located in Santa Barbara, California, and it awarded 1 doctorate’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.

UCSB also took the #5 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UCSB are $28,670.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at UCSB

• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts in the Far Western US Region (With Aid)
• Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)

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.

Featured Theater Schools

Request Info

Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs ... Learn More >