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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region

47 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
2,285 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 reviewed 47 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,285 degrees in drama & theater arts annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts rankings. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Drama & Theater Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater

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

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 Great Lakes Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Theater Degrees Awarded
$19,515 Median Starting Salary

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston. A Best Colleges rank of #5 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Northwestern is a great university overall.

There were about 118 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year. After graduation, theater degree recipients usually earn around $19,515 in the first five years of their career.

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

2
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Theater Degrees Awarded
14.7% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to check out University of Notre Dame. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at University of Notre Dame get $15,352 more than 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 Notre Dame

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Theater Degrees Awarded
$17,577 Median Starting Salary

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #22 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.

There were roughly 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make about $17,577 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Theater Degrees Awarded
$17,929 Median Starting Salary

Columbia College Chicago is a good decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population. This college ranks 9th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.

There were approximately 145 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $17,929.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago

5
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
111 Theater Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #135 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.

There were roughly 111 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at DePaul 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 earnings of $22,970.

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

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In WI
32 Theater Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #40 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UW - Madison is a great university overall.

There were roughly 32 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UW - Madison in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
96 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,070 Median Starting Salary

UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 96 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus get an earnings boost of around $2,891 above the typical earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Theater Degrees Awarded
23.9% Growth in Graduates

Kent State is a very large public university located in the suburb of Kent. This university ranks 9th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 67 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Kent State University at Kent receive an earnings boost of about $2,386 over the typical income of drama & theater arts majors.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,815 Median Starting Salary

IU Bloomington is a very large public university located in the city of Bloomington. A Best Colleges rank of #30 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means IU Bloomington is a great university overall.

There were approximately 40 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at IU Bloomington in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $20,815 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,920 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make around $23,920 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Drama & Theater Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
11 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
12 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
13 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
14 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
15 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Michigan 322 364
Ohio 314 523
Illinois 304 855
Indiana 294 315
Wisconsin 273 259

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 1,437
Acting 249
Musical Theater 222
Theater Design & Technology 177
Playwriting & Screenwriting 64
Directing & Theatrical Production 43
Comedy Writing and Performance 39
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 26
Theatre and Dance 24
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 4

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 5,430
Fine & Studio Arts 4,323
Music 3,842
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,712
Arts & Media Management 601
General Visual & Performing Arts 429
Dance 342
Other Visual Art 78
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 11

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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