2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard.
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.
At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 1,684 drama and theater arts graduates with average earnings and debt of $56,398 and $43,194 respectively.
For this year’s “Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 139 colleges that offer 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. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
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More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools
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 Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid” list to help you make the college decision.
We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons 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.
Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid
The colleges and universities below are the best for master’s degree theater students with aid.
Top 25 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Drama & Theater Arts (With Aid)
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Hunter College. The school came in at #1 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in New York, New York, this large public school handed out 5 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Hunter are $20,828.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, this large public school handed out 13 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are $30,248, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Los Angeles. It ranked #3 on our 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 1 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Cal State LA did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #0 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State LA are $17,723, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Los Angeles
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brooklyn College. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Brooklyn, New York is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 17 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Brooklyn College are $20,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Florida. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid. Located in Gainesville, Florida, this large public school awarded 11 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Florida are $30,130.
Yale University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Yale is a fairly large school located in New Haven, Connecticut that handed out 45 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Yale also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #1. Average graduate tuition and fees at Yale University are $44,500, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UC Irvine is located in Irvine, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 20 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.
UC Irvine did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #12 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Purdue University - Main Campus ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in West Lafayette, Indiana, this large public school handed out 6 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Purdue not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Purdue are $28,794, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #9, University of Central Florida did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Orlando, Florida, and it awarded 19 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Central Florida are $28,657, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Florida State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Tallahassee, Florida is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 31 students in 2019-2020.
Florida State not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #18 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Florida State University are $26,707, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a large school located in Champaign, Illinois that handed out 16 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UIUC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #23 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign are $30,083, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. UNCSA is a small public school situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It awarded 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of North Carolina School of the Arts are $26,064.
California State University - Northridge came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 8 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at CSUN are $17,955, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #14. Located in Madison, Wisconsin, this large public school handed out 1 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
UW - Madison also took the #0 spot in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW - Madison are $25,523.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Washington - Seattle Campus landed the #15 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Seattle, Washington, this large public school handed out 10 diplomas to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UW Seattle are $30,294.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at University of Washington - Seattle Campus
California State University - Fullerton landed the #16 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but some majors have different tuition rates.
The University of Texas at Austin did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. The University of Texas at Austin is located in Austin, Texas and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 15 masters’s theater degrees to qualified students.
In addition to being on our master’s degree theater students with aid list, UT Austin has also earned the #15 rank in our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at The University of Texas at Austin are $22,886, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of Nevada - Las Vegas came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Nevada - Las Vegas are $21,962.
San Diego State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s theater degrees to 13 students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at San Diego State University are $18,658, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of North Carolina at Greensboro did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #20. University of North Carolina at Greensboro is a fairly large school located in Greensboro, North Carolina that handed out 12 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UNC Greensboro are $21,918.
Texas Woman’s University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid list. Located in Denton, Texas, this fairly large public school handed out 2 degrees to qualified masters’s theater students in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at TWU are $14,962, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #22 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. CSULB is a large school located in Long Beach, California that handed out 9 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California State University - Long Beach are $17,784.
Read more about Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Long Beach
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of California - Los Angeles is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA also made our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list, coming in at #16. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full University of California - Los Angeles Drama & Theater Arts Report
Indiana University - Bloomington landed the #24 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. This large school is located in Bloomington, Indiana, and it awarded 11 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
Average graduate tuition and fees at Indiana University - Bloomington are $33,338, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Full Indiana University - Bloomington Drama & Theater Arts Report
University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Theater Schools for a Master’s For Those Getting Aid ranking. University of Virginia - Main Campus is a large school located in Charlottesville, Virginia that handed out 6 masters’s theater degrees in 2019-2020.
University of Virginia not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Drama & Theater Arts Master’s Degree Schools” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of Virginia - Main Campus are $32,394.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia - Main Campus
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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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