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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

28 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,041 Bachelor's Degrees
$23,671 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #38 most popular bachelor's degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 28 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,041 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

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

Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region The theater bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

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

Average Early-Career Salaries

Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor'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

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 drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.

More Ways to Rank Drama & Theater Arts Schools

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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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study Drama & Theater Arts in the Southwest Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Bachelor's in Theater

1

It is hard to beat The University of Texas at Austin if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from The University of Texas at Austin receive $9,590 more than the average theater student.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
168 Annual Graduates
$26,045 Median Starting Salary
$23,589 Median Student Debt

Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts has to check out Texas State University. Texas State is a fairly large public university located in the small city of San Marcos.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Texas State University make $2,374 more than the average theater grad.

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

3
38 Annual Graduates
$26,048 Median Starting Salary
$24,500 Median Student Debt

University of Arizona is a wonderful choice for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson.

Bachelor's recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at University of Arizona get $2,377 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Arizona

4

It's hard to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. TCU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Fort Worth.

Soon after graduation, theater bachelor's recipients generally earn around $21,221 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Texas Christian University

5

Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients typically make around $25,301 at the beginning of their careers.

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

6

Located in the city of Waco, Baylor is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.

Soon after graduating, theater bachelor's recipients generally earn an average of $20,267 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Baylor University

7

SMU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Dallas.

Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $23,831 for their early career.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Southern Methodist University

8

University of Oklahoma is a fairly large public university located in the midsize suburb of Norman.

Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus earn $3,082 more than the average theater grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Oklahoma Norman Campus

9
OCU crest
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma City, OK
38 Annual Graduates
$20,696 Median Starting Salary
$71,590 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.

Soon after graduation, theater bachelor's recipients typically make an average of $20,696 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Oklahoma City University

10

Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a very large student population.

Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Texas Tech University earn a boost of about $5,262 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Texas Tech University

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 245 757
Arizona 200 139
Oklahoma 190 162
New Mexico 133 35

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One of 10 majors within the Visual & Performing Arts area of study, Drama & Theater Arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Theater Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Theater Arts 799
Acting 79
Musical Theater 70
Theatre and Dance 49
Theater Design & Technology 39
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 3
Directing & Theatrical Production 2

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 2,098
Music 1,560
Design & Applied Arts 1,338
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 679
General Visual & Performing Arts 676
Dance 313
Arts & Media Management 97
Other Visual Art 5

Notes and References

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