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2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

59 Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
4,342 Theater Degrees Awarded
$22,179 Avg Early-Career Salary
Drama & Theater Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #59 most popular degree program in the country. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual reviewed 59 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to determine which ones were the best for degree seekers in the field of drama & theater arts. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 4,342 degrees in drama & theater arts annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Drama & Theater Arts School

Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region Your choice of drama & theater arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Drama & Theater Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Drama & Theater Arts Rankings by Degree Level

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

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Drama & Theater Arts in the Middle Atlantic Region

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. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

11 Top Middle Atlantic Region Schools in Theater

1
NYU crest
New York University
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
542 Theater Degrees Awarded
16.4% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts needs to take a look at New York University. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #16 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NYU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 542 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at NYU in the most recent year we have data available. Drama & Theater Arts degree recipients from New York University receive an earnings boost of approximately $2,890 above the average earnings of drama & theater arts majors.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Theater Degrees Awarded
$32,967 Median Starting Salary

Carnegie Mellon University is a good option for students interested in a degree in drama & theater arts. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were approximately 72 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent year we have data available. Those drama & theater arts students who get their degree from Carnegie Mellon University make $10,788 more than the typical theater graduate.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Theater Degrees Awarded
48.1% Growth in Graduates

Columbia University in the City of New York is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of New York. A Best Colleges rank of #15 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Columbia is a great university overall.

There were approximately 81 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program report average early career wages of $20,935.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Columbia University in the City of New York

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
752 Theater Degrees Awarded
36.0% Growth in Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in drama & theater arts has to take a look at American Musical and Dramatic Academy. Located in the city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

There were roughly 752 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Musical and Dramatic Academy in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $17,387 for their early career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from American Musical and Dramatic Academy

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Theater Degrees Awarded
$12,456 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were approximately 99 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $12,456.

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

6
Purchase College crest
Purchase College
Purchase, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
149 Theater Degrees Awarded
$18,090 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Purchase, Purchase College is a public college with a small student population. This college ranks 53rd out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 149 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Purchase College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $18,090.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Purchase College

7
Syracuse crest
Syracuse University
Syracuse, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Theater Degrees Awarded
4.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #62 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Syracuse is a great university overall.

There were roughly 61 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Syracuse in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, theater degree recipients usually earn around $20,988 in the first five years of their career.

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

8
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
81 Theater Degrees Awarded
$19,269 Median Starting Salary

Temple is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were approximately 81 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Temple 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 earnings of $19,269.

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

9
Ithaca crest
Ithaca College
Ithaca, NY
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Theater Degrees Awarded
$18,243 Median Starting Salary

Located in the suburb of Ithaca, Ithaca is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 23rd out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were about 65 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at Ithaca in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, theater degree recipients usually make an average of $18,243 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Ithaca College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
99 Theater Degrees Awarded
$19,562 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of New York, MMC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. This college ranks 35th out of 136 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 99 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at MMC in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, theater degree recipients generally earn about $19,562 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from Marymount Manhattan College

11
New School University crest
The New School
New York, NY
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Theater Degrees Awarded
15.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of New York, New School University is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population. This school ranks 22nd out of 136 schools for overall quality in the state of New York.

There were approximately 98 drama & theater arts students who graduated with this degree at New School University 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 earnings of $19,454.

More information about a degree in drama & theater arts from The New School

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
12 The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA
13 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
14 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
15 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
16 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
17 American University Washington, DC
18 Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA
19 Vassar College Poughkeepsie, NY

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 334 754
New York 333 2,536
Maryland 279 179
New Jersey 273 210
District of Columbia 188 67

View All Rankings >

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 2,494
Acting 602
Musical Theater 498
Playwriting & Screenwriting 216
Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft 210
Theater Design & Technology 200
Directing & Theatrical Production 104
Theatre Literature, History & Criticism 11
Costume Design 4
Theatre and Dance 3

View All Theater Concentrations >

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 6,935
Fine & Studio Arts 6,307
Music 4,667
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 3,128
General Visual & Performing Arts 1,018
Dance 945
Arts & Media Management 909
Other Visual Art 508
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 8

View All Theater Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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