2025 Best Theater Arts Schools in California
26
Colleges in California
1,862
Theater Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in
theater arts, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #70 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 26 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Theater Arts Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,862 degrees in theater arts annually.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Choosing a Great Theater Arts School
The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Theater Arts rankings. We derive our Best Overall Theater Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Theater Arts Rankings by Degree Level
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Theater Arts Schools in California 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 Theater Arts in California
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 California Schools in Theater
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
9th
Most Popular In CA
66
Theater Degrees Awarded
University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in theater arts. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 66 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of Southern California
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
19th
Most Popular In CA
Any student who is interested in theater arts needs to check out Chapman University. Chapman is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. A Best Colleges rank of #172 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Chapman is a great university overall.
There were approximately 26 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from Chapman University
Bachelor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
12th
Most Popular In CA
62
Theater Degrees Awarded
Loyola Marymount University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in theater arts. Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #222 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Loyola Marymount is a great university overall.
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 degree in theater arts from Loyola Marymount University
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
3rd
Most Popular In CA
94
Theater Degrees Awarded
University of California - Los Angeles is a good option for students pursuing a degree in theater arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were about 94 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
10th
Most Popular In CA
49
Theater Degrees Awarded
UCSD is a very large public university located in the large city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.
There were approximately 49 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - San Diego
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
1st
Most Popular In CA
94
Theater Degrees Awarded
UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were approximately 94 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Irvine
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
11th
Most Popular In CA
32
Theater Degrees Awarded
UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the city of Berkeley. A Best Colleges rank of #14 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Berkeley is a great university overall.
There were approximately 32 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Berkeley
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
2nd
Most Popular In CA
98
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the large suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 41st out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 98 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from California State University - Fullerton
Doctor's Degree
Highest Degree Type
14th
Most Popular In CA
33
Theater Degrees Awarded
Located in the suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #47 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCSB is a great university overall.
There were roughly 33 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSB in the most recent year we have data available.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Santa Barbara
Master's Degree
Highest Degree Type
21st
Most Popular In CA
Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #55 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Davis is a great university overall.
There were roughly 23 theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Davis in the most recent data year.
More information about a degree in theater arts from University of California - Davis
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