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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York

31 Colleges in New York
1,906 Bachelor's Degrees
$19,045 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #38 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 31 schools in New York to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,906 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York Your choice of drama & theater arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theater program can vary widely even among the top schools. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Early-Career Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of bachelor's graduates during the early years of their career. That is, everyone wants their bachelor's degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Theater Rankings Other Ranking Categories

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in New York list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in New York

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for drama & theater arts students seeking a a bachelor's degree.

10 Top New York Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
421 Annual Graduates
$20,916 Median Starting Salary
$114,528 Median Student Debt

New York University is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $20,916 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from New York University

2
225 Annual Graduates
$17,410 Median Starting Salary
$123,774 Median Student Debt

American Musical and Dramatic Academy is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $17,410 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy

3
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
139 Annual Graduates
$18,090 Median Starting Salary
$42,595 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Purchase College if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Purchase College is a small public college located in the large suburb of Purchase.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $18,090 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Purchase College

4
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
61 Annual Graduates
$20,988 Median Starting Salary
$102,596 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Syracuse University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Syracuse is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Syracuse.

Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $20,988 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Syracuse University

5
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY

Ithaca is a small private not-for-profit college located in the small suburb of Ithaca.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,243.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Ithaca College

6
125 Annual Graduates
$19,562 Median Starting Salary
$81,964 Median Student Debt

MMC is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large city of New York.

After graduating, theater bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $19,562 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Marymount Manhattan College

7
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
70 Annual Graduates
$17,113 Median Starting Salary
$107,541 Median Student Debt

New School University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $17,113.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from The New School

8

Located in the suburb of Buffalo, University at Buffalo is a public university with a very large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at University at Buffalo earn $6,765 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University at Buffalo

9
Vassar crest
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, NY

Vassar is a small private not-for-profit college located in the large suburb of Poughkeepsie.

After graduation, theater bachelor's recipients generally make about $19,339 in their early careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Vassar College

10
SUNY Fredonia crest
SUNY Fredonia
Fredonia, NY

SUNY Fredonia is a small public school located in the town of Fredonia.

Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make around $20,453 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from SUNY Fredonia

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 274 615
Maryland 207 167
New Jersey 193 188
District of Columbia 126 44

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 1,082
Musical Theater 379
Acting 194
Playwriting & Screenwriting 107
Theater Design & Technology 91
Directing & Theatrical Production 38
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 11
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 3
Theatre and Dance 1

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 2,669
Fine & Studio Arts 1,974
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,765
Music 1,143
Arts & Media Management 470
Dance 361
General Visual & Performing Arts 213
Other Visual Art 201

Notes and References

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