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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

43 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
3,242 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,179 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in drama & theater arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #59 in the country in terms of popularity. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 3,242 degrees in drama & theater arts annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region The theater program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts rankings. We derive our Best Overall Drama & 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.

Pick Your Drama & Theater Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Theater
Bachelor's Degrees in Theater
Master's Degrees in Theater
Doctor's Degrees in Theater

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Drama & Theater Arts in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of theater degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Theater

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
175 Theater Degrees Awarded
$21,548 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of Southern California if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. USC is a fairly 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 approximately 175 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program make around $21,548 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Southern California

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
114 Theater Degrees Awarded
7.9% Growth in Graduates

Chapman University is a good decision for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the medium-sized city of Orange. This university ranks 24th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 114 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Chapman in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the drama & theater arts degree program at Chapman University make $2,465 more than the standard graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Chapman University

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
106 Theater Degrees Awarded
$12,456 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

There were about 106 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles in the most recent year we have data available. After graduating, theater degree recipients usually make around $12,456 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
94 Theater Degrees Awarded
3.2% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of California - Los Angeles if you wish to pursue a degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.

There were approximately 94 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $19,673 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Los Angeles

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Theater Degrees Awarded
25.8% Growth in Graduates

Loyola Marymount is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 29th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 151 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Loyola Marymount in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,065.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Loyola Marymount University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Theater Degrees Awarded
7.6% Growth in Graduates

UCSD is a fairly large public university located in the 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 roughly 66 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $16,373 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - San Diego

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
40 Theater Degrees Awarded
$26,390 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 40 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from University of Washington - Seattle Campus receive an earnings boost of about $4,211 above the typical income of drama & theater arts graduates.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
103 Theater Degrees Awarded
$20,461 Median Starting Salary

UC Irvine is a fairly large public university located in the city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.

There were approximately 103 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career earnings of $20,461.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Irvine

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
25th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large suburb of Malibu, Pepperdine is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #63 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Pepperdine is a great university overall.

There were roughly 15 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Pepperdine in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Pepperdine University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,610 Median Starting Salary

UC Berkeley is a very large public university located in the medium-sized 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 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at UC Berkeley in the most recent data year. After graduating, theater degree recipients usually make around $22,610 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from University of California - Berkeley

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 2,820
Washington 300 230
Oregon 266 176
Nevada 192 82
Hawaii 164 20
Alaska 119 13

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 2,200
Acting 411
Playwriting & Screenwriting 326
Theater Design & Technology 173
Musical Theater 63
Costume Design 27
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 25
Directing & Theatrical Production 12
Theatre and Dance 3
Comedy Writing and Performance 2

View All Theater Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,899
Design & Applied Arts 6,197
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4,925
Music 4,297
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,366
Dance 607
Arts & Media Management 391
Other Visual Art 74
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 6

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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