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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

30 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,377 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 30 schools in the Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for drama & theater arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,377 degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region 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

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

The theater school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southwest Region. 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 Southwest 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 Southwest Region Schools in Theater

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
88 Theater Degrees Awarded
$37,216 Median Starting Salary

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in drama & theater arts. UT Austin is a very large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were approximately 88 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts program at The University of Texas at Austin get $15,037 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Theater Degrees Awarded
7.1% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Texas State University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Texas State is a very large public university located in the city of San Marcos. This university ranks 16th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 156 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from Texas State University earn a boost of around $3,866 over the typical earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Theater Degrees Awarded
$26,048 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at University of Arizona. University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 41 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Arizona receive an earnings boost of approximately $3,869 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

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

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$21,221 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. TCU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Worth. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 22 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $21,221 in their early career salary.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Theater Degrees Awarded
$25,301 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were about 65 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from Arizona State University - Tempe earn $3,122 more than the typical theater student.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
34 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,267 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were about 34 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor 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 $20,267.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,831 Median Starting Salary

SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 18 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients typically earn about $23,831 in their early careers.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Theater Degrees Awarded
10.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Norman. A Best Colleges rank of #191 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Oklahoma is a great university overall.

There were roughly 48 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Oklahoma in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts major at University of Oklahoma Norman Campus get $4,574 above the standard graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,696 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 3rd out of 31 colleges for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were approximately 42 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OCU in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients usually earn around $20,696 in their early careers.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In OK

Located in the distant town of Stillwater, OSU is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #366 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means OSU is a great university overall.

There were about 6 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at OSU in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 982
Arizona 287 184
Oklahoma 257 188
New Mexico 219 40

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 1,064
Acting 107
Musical Theater 83
Theater Design & Technology 48
Theatre and Dance 46
Playwriting & Screenwriting 17
Directing & Theatrical Production 6
Costume Design 3
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 3

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,759
Design & Applied Arts 3,281
Music 2,883
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,084
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,008
Dance 425
Arts & Media Management 383
Other Visual Art 13

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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