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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

9 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
199 Master's Degrees
$25,024 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #83 most popular master's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 9 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 199 master's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School for Your Master's Degree

Best Drama & Theater Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region The theater master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality theater program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for drama & theater arts students working on their master's degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
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Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in the Great Lakes Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for drama & theater arts students seeking a a master's degree.

Top Great Lakes Region Schools for a Master's in Theater

1

Northwestern University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.

Soon after graduating, theater master's recipients typically earn around $25,804 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University

2
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, IL

Every student who is interested in a master's degree in drama & theater arts needs to check out DePaul University. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Students who graduate with their master's from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $25,163.

More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from DePaul University

3
5 Annual Graduates

Indiana University - Bloomington is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in drama & theater arts. IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the city of Bloomington.More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Indiana University - Bloomington

4

It is difficult to beat University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign if you wish to pursue a master's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a fairly large student population.

Soon after graduating, theater master's recipients typically earn an average of $26,539 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

5
6 Annual Graduates

UC is a very large public university located in the city of Cincinnati.More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

6

OHIO Athens is a fairly large public university located in the distant town of Athens.

Soon after graduation, theater master's recipients usually earn about $22,970 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

7
6 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Roosevelt University

8
7 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Illinois State University

9

Wayne State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Detroit.

Drama & Theater Arts master's degree recipients from Wayne State University get an earnings boost of about $5,364 over the average earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

More information about a master’s in drama & theater arts from Wayne State University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Illinois 221 100
Michigan 211 27
Ohio 207 54
Indiana 191 17
Wisconsin 173 2

View All Rankings >

Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Theater Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 95
Playwriting & Screenwriting 42
Acting 23
Theater Design & Technology 15
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 14
Directing & Theatrical Production 10

Related Major Annual Graduates
Music 1,004
Fine & Studio Arts 479
Arts & Media Management 236
Design & Applied Arts 197
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 93
General Visual & Performing Arts 27
Dance 22

Notes and References

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