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2025 Best Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

26 Colleges in California
1,122 Bachelor's Degrees
Ranked #47 in popularity, theater arts is one of the most sought-after bachelor's degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual reviewed 26 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,122 bachelor's degrees in theater arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California Your choice of theater arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.

A Great Overall School

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

Other Factors We Consider

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

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Theater Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Theater Arts in California

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in theater arts.

10 Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1
54 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in theater arts needs to take a look at University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of Southern California

2
30 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Chapman University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in theater arts. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Chapman University

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
63 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in theater arts. UCLA is a very large public university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles

4
43 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in theater arts has to check out Loyola Marymount University. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Loyola Marymount is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from Loyola Marymount University

5
63 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - San Diego

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
89 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Irvine

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Berkeley

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Annual Graduates

Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Fullerton.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from California State University - Fullerton

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
33 Annual Graduates

UCSB is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Santa Barbara.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Santa Barbara

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
16 Annual Graduates

UC Davis is a very large public university located in the small suburb of Davis.More information about a bachelor’s in theater arts from University of California - Davis

Best Theater Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 521 158
Oregon 343 148
Nevada 201 23
Hawaii 172 7
Alaska 87 4

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One of 11 majors within the Drama & Theater Arts area of study, Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Playwriting & Screenwriting 209
Acting 183
Musical Theater 36
Theater Design & Technology 26
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 11
Directing & Theatrical Production 2
Costume Design 2

Notes and References

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