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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

5 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
373 Associate Degrees
$14,916 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on getting your associate degree in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #65 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 5 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for drama & theater arts students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 373 associate degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School for Your Associate Degree

Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region The theater associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. 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 take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Early-Career Earnings

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for drama & theater arts students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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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 Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in the Middle Atlantic Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in drama & theater arts.

Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools for an Associate in Theater

1
61 Annual Graduates
$15,909 Median Starting Salary
$70,000 Median Student Debt

American Musical and Dramatic Academy is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $15,909.

More information about a associate in drama & theater arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy

2
80 Annual Graduates
$12,445 Median Starting Salary
$42,130 Median Student Debt

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York. Located in the city of New York, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After graduating, theater associate recipients generally make about $12,445 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in drama & theater arts from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York

3
LaGuardia crest
LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY

It's hard to beat LaGuardia Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in drama & theater arts. LaGuardia is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Long Island City.

Soon after graduating, theater associate recipients typically make around $15,314 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in drama & theater arts from LaGuardia Community College

4
13 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in drama & theater arts has to check out Hudson Valley Community College. Located in the small city of Troy, HVCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in drama & theater arts from Hudson Valley Community College

5
125 Annual Graduates
$15,997 Median Starting Salary
$48,995 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of New York, New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, theater associate recipients generally earn an average of $15,997 in their early careers.

More information about a associate in drama & theater arts from New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 196 349
Pennsylvania 179 48
Maryland 126 3

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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
Acting 218
Theater Arts 75
Musical Theater 52
Theater Design & Technology 19
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 9

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,878
Fine & Studio Arts 756
General Visual & Performing Arts 457
Music 179
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 170
Dance 10
Arts & Media Management 10
Other Visual Art 6

Notes and References

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