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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

28 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,051 Bachelor's Degrees
$23,671 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #38 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 28 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,051 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region The theater bachelor's 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

The overall quality of a bachelor's degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools 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 Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in the Southwest Region

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

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1

It is difficult to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin earn $9,590 more than the typical theater graduate.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
149 Annual Graduates
$26,045 Median Starting Salary
$23,589 Median Student Debt

Any student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts needs to look into Texas State University. Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Marcos.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas State University earn $2,374 more than the typical theater graduate.

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

3
38 Annual Graduates
$26,048 Median Starting Salary
$24,500 Median Student Debt

University of Arizona is a good decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson.

Bachelor's recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Arizona get $2,377 more than the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

4

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

Soon after graduation, theater bachelor's recipients generally make about $21,221 in the first five years of their career.

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

5

Located in the city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduation, theater bachelor's recipients usually make around $25,301 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

6

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

After graduation, theater bachelor's recipients usually make an average of $20,267 in the first five years of their career.

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

7

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make around $23,831 for their early career.

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

8

University of Oklahoma is a very large public university located in the suburb of Norman.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus make $3,082 more than the average theater student.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
42 Annual Graduates
$20,696 Median Starting Salary
$71,590 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make about $20,696 in the first five years of their career.

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

10

Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Texas Tech University receive an earnings boost of about $5,262 over the average income of drama & theater arts graduates.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 245 757
Arizona 200 139
Oklahoma 190 162
New Mexico 133 35

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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
Theater Arts 816
Musical Theater 75
Acting 69
Theatre and Dance 46
Theater Design & Technology 40
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 3
Directing & Theatrical Production 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 2,154
Music 1,720
Design & Applied Arts 1,392
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 692
General Visual & Performing Arts 688
Dance 326
Arts & Media Management 108
Other Visual Art 4

Notes and References

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