If you plan on getting your associate degree in theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #113 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.
College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 882 associate degrees in theater arts to qualified students.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Major Focus - How much a school focuses on theater arts students vs. other majors.
Major Demand - The number of theater arts students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized theater arts related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for theater arts students working on their associate degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Theater Arts in the United States
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in theater arts.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).