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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina

10 Colleges in North Carolina
466 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,179 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 466 degrees in drama & theater arts annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Drama & Theater Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater

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 Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list to help you make the college decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

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.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in North Carolina

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the theater degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top North Carolina Schools in Theater

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
39 Theater Degrees Awarded
$24,345 Median Starting Salary

Every student who is interested in drama & theater arts has to look into Elon University. Elon is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Elon is a great university overall.

There were about 39 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Elon in the most recent data year. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from Elon University receive $2,166 more than the typical theater grad.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Elon University

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Theater Degrees Awarded
9.9% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts has to look into University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Located in the large city of Winston Salem, UNCSA is a public university with a small student population.

There were approximately 101 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCSA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career earnings of $22,429.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
37 Theater Degrees Awarded
29.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were roughly 37 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $4,278 above the typical college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Theater Degrees Awarded
27.5% Growth in Graduates

University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 17th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 80 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $18,154.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$20,256 Median Starting Salary

Appalachian State is a very large public university located in the distant town of Boone. This university ranks 11th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 25 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Appalachian State in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $20,256.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Appalachian State University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,295 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Greenville, ECU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #275 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ECU is a great university overall.

There were about 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ECU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $21,295 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from East Carolina University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$18,052 Median Starting Salary

UNC Charlotte is a very large public university located in the city of Charlotte. A Best Colleges rank of #367 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Charlotte is a great university overall.

There were about 24 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Charlotte in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, theater degree recipients generally earn about $18,052 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Charlotte

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$20,450 Median Starting Salary

UNCW is a fairly large public university located in the city of Wilmington. This university ranks 12th out of 93 schools for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were approximately 17 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNCW in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $20,450 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of North Carolina at Wilmington

9
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,824 Median Starting Salary
$16,811 Median Student Debt

Located in the town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 36th out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 21 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at WCU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $21,824 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Western Carolina University

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$20,996 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Greensboro, NC A&T is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 51st out of 93 colleges for overall quality in the state of North Carolina.

There were about 10 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NC A&T in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients usually earn about $20,996 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from North Carolina A & T State University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 453
Florida 282 656
Virginia 274 455
Tennessee 269 203
South Carolina 248 175
Kentucky 244 181
Louisiana 242 168
Mississippi 234 64
Arkansas 234 97
Alabama 233 147
West Virginia 207 49

View All Rankings >

One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Drama & Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Theater Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 333
Theater Design & Technology 83
Musical Theater 29
Acting 11
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 9
Costume Design 1

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,766
Fine & Studio Arts 713
Music 553
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 244
Dance 127
Arts & Media Management 110
General Visual & Performing Arts 81
Other Visual Art 13
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 12

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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