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2022 Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts

802 Colleges in the United States
9,538 Bachelor's Degrees
If you pursue a bachelor's degree in theater arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #43 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

In 2022, College Factual analyzed 802 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9,538 bachelor's degrees in theater arts during the 2019-2020 academic year.

What's on this page: * Other Rankings

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

Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts Your choice of school for getting your bachelor's degree in theater matters. One of the reasons we created our Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts ranking is to help you make that choice.

A high popularity ranking isn't always a sign that a school has a great overall quality ranking for theater arts, but it does mean that many students are choosing the school for some reason. Sometimes this is because the school offers a great educational experience, it is a good value, or it is highly focused on the program.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Associate Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater
Overall Popularity in Theater

This ranking is just one of the many we have created. First of all, if you are interested in other degree levels, you may want to take a look at one of the rankings highlighted above. Also, if you are interested in attending school in a specific part of the country, see our rankings by location. On top of that, you can visit our other rankings for theater arts.

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.

Below you'll see a list of the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Most Well Attended Schools for Theater Students Working on Their Bachelor's

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
366 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NY
#4 Best Quality In NY

New York University is a popular choice for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in theater arts. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #4 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in New York.

There were roughly 366 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from New York University

2
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
132 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In TX
#4 Best Quality In TX

You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Texas State University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Texas State is a very large public university located in the small city of San Marcos. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #4 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Texas.

There were approximately 132 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year.

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

3
107 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CA
#14 Best Quality In CA

California State University - Fullerton is a popular decision for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton.

There were roughly 107 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from California State University - Fullerton

4
93 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IL
#1 Best Quality In IL

Northwestern University is one of the most popular schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Illinois.

There were about 93 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Northwestern University

5
80 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In FL
#4 Best Quality In FL

Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Florida.

There were approximately 80 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of Central Florida

6
78 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In CA
#16 Best Quality In CA

Located in the city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public university with a very large student population.

There were approximately 78 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from California State University - Long Beach

7
76 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#3 Most Popular In CA
#8 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a very large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in California.

There were roughly 76 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Irvine

8
Muhlenberg crest
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
75 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In PA
#5 Best Quality In PA

Located in the city of Allentown, Muhlenberg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Pennsylvania.

There were roughly 75 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Muhlenberg in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Muhlenberg College

9
74 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In IN
#1 Best Quality In IN

Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Notre Dame. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Indiana.

There were approximately 74 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of Notre Dame

10
72 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IN
#6 Best Quality In IN

Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a fairly large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #6 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Indiana.

There were roughly 72 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Ball State University

11
71 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In IL
#2 Best Quality In IL

Illinois State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Normal. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Illinois.

There were about 71 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Illinois State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Illinois State University

11
71 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NJ
#2 Best Quality In NJ

Located in the suburb of Montclair, Montclair State is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in New Jersey.

There were roughly 71 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Montclair State University

13
Florida State crest
Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL
69 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In FL
#1 Best Quality In FL

Florida State is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Tallahassee. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #1 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Florida.

There were roughly 69 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Florida State in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Florida State University

14
62 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#2 Most Popular In TX
#7 Best Quality In TX

UNT is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Denton. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #7 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Texas.

There were roughly 62 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of North Texas

14
62 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In CA
#5 Best Quality In CA

Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in California.

There were roughly 62 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Loyola Marymount University

14
62 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#4 Most Popular In CA
#3 Best Quality In CA

UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in California.

There were roughly 62 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles

17
61 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In NC
#5 Best Quality In NC

Located in the city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #5 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in North Carolina.

There were roughly 61 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UNC Greensboro in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of North Carolina at Greensboro

18
60 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In CO
#2 Best Quality In CO

Located in the city of Greeley, University of Northern Colorado is a public university with a large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Colorado.

There were roughly 60 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at University of Northern Colorado in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of Northern Colorado

18
60 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OR
#6 Best Quality In OR

Located in the midsize suburb of Ashland, Southern Oregon University is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Oregon.

There were roughly 60 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Southern Oregon University in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Southern Oregon University

20
59 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In OH
#10 Best Quality In OH

Located in the suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a fairly large student population.

There were approximately 59 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Kent State University at Kent

21
57 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In AZ
#2 Best Quality In AZ

Located in the midsize city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Arizona.

There were roughly 57 theater arts individuals who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year.

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

22
JMU crest
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA
55 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In VA
#3 Best Quality In VA

Located in the small city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a very large student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Virginia.

There were approximately 55 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at JMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from James Madison University

22
55 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In MN
#2 Best Quality In MN

UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the city of Minneapolis. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Minnesota.

There were approximately 55 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

24
54 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In WA
#2 Best Quality In WA

Located in the city of Bellingham, WWU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #2 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Washington.

There were roughly 54 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Western Washington University

25
53 Annual Bachelor's Degrees
#1 Most Popular In GA
#3 Best Quality In GA

KSU Georgia is a very large public university located in the large suburb of Kennesaw. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #3 in quality for bachelor's degrees in theater arts in Georgia.

There were roughly 53 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at KSU Georgia in the most recent data year.

More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Kennesaw State University

25
25
27
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
28
28
Emerson crest
Emerson College
Boston, MA
30
30
Hofstra crest
Hofstra University
Hempstead, NY

30
NKU crest
Northern Kentucky University
Highland Heights, KY

33
34
34
36
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
36
36
36
40

40
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI

40
43
44
44
46
46
46
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
49
DeSales crest
DeSales University
Center Valley, PA

Additional Award Winners

This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 802 different United States theater arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
49 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
51 San Diego State University San Diego, CA
51 Florida International University Miami, FL
51 Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA
54 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
54 Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA
54 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
54 University of California - Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA
54 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
59 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
59 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
61 University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT
61 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
61 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
61 Wagner College Staten Island, NY
61 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
66 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
66 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
68 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
68 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY
68 University of Michigan - Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI
68 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
68 SUNY Fredonia Fredonia, NY
73 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
73 Fordham University Bronx, NY
75 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
75 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
75 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
75 Chapman University Orange, CA
75 Brigham Young University - Provo Provo, UT
75 Millikin University Decatur, IL
81 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
81 Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC
81 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
81 Molloy College Rockville Centre, NY
81 University of Minnesota - Duluth Duluth, MN
81 Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC
87 University of California - Davis Davis, CA
87 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
87 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
87 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
87 LIU Post Brookville, NY
87 University of Houston Houston, TX
87 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
87 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
95 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
95 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
95 Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL
95 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston-Salem, NC
99 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
99 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
99 Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi Corpus Christi, TX
99 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
99 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
99 Hunter College New York, NY
105 University of Oregon Eugene, OR
105 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
105 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
108 Suffolk University Boston, MA
108 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
110 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
110 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
110 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
110 North Carolina A & T State University Greensboro, NC
110 The University of Montana Missoula, MT
110 Southern Utah University Cedar City, UT
110 University of Cincinnati - Main Campus Cincinnati, OH
110 Western Oregon University Monmouth, OR
110 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
119 University of Southern Indiana Evansville, IN
119 University of Montevallo Montevallo, AL
119 Portland State University Portland, OR
119 Middle Tennessee State University Murfreesboro, TN
119 Bennington College Bennington, VT
119 Queens College Queens, NY
119 University of New Hampshire - Main Campus Durham, NH
119 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
119 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
119 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
119 Northwestern State University of Louisiana Natchitoches, LA
119 The University of West Florida Pensacola, FL

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts award.

Rank College Location
131 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
131 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
131 Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA
131 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
131 The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX
131 Indiana University - Bloomington Bloomington, IN
131 Towson University Towson, MD
138 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
138 Adelphi University Garden City, NY
138 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT
138 Drew University Madison, NJ
138 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
138 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
138 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
138 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
146 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
146 Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT
146 University of Georgia Athens, GA
146 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
146 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
146 Auburn University Auburn, AL
146 Radford University Radford, VA
146 Boston University Boston, MA
146 Buffalo State Buffalo, NY
146 West Texas A&M University Canyon, TX
156 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
156 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
156 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
156 Rollins College Winter Park, FL
156 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
156 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
156 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
156 Brown University Providence, RI

Theater Arts by Region

View the Most Popular Bachelor's Degree Colleges for Theater Arts for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

View All Rankings >

One of 9 majors within the Drama & Theater Arts area of study, Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Acting 1,128
Musical Theater 851
Theater Design & Technology 632
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 584
Playwriting & Screenwriting 342
Directing & Theatrical Production 138
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 44
Costume Design 28
Theatre and Dance 22

Notes and References

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