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2025 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

8 Colleges in California
416 Bachelor's Degrees
$24,498 Avg Early-Career Salary
a bachelor's degree in general visual & performing arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #94 out of 363 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

College Factual reviewed 8 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for bachelor's degree seekers in the field of general visual & performing arts. Combined, these schools handed out 416 bachelor's degrees in general visual & performing arts to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great General Visual & Performing Arts School for Your Bachelor's Degree

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California The visual arts bachelor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality visual arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

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

Average Earnings

To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their bachelor's degree from the school. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their bachelor's degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Visual Arts Rankings Other Ranking Categories

The visual arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California.

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.

Best Schools for Bachelor’s Students to Study General Visual & Performing Arts in California

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

Top California Schools for a Bachelor's in Visual Arts

1
39 Annual Graduates

University of Southern California is one of the best schools in the country for getting a bachelor's degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from University of Southern California

2
62 Annual Graduates

University of California - San Diego is a great option for students pursuing a bachelor's degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from University of California - San Diego

3
101 Annual Graduates
$21,558 Median Starting Salary
$63,603 Median Student Debt

It's hard to beat Otis College of Art and Design if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in general visual & performing arts. Otis College of Art and Design is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Los Angeles.

Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the visual arts program report average early career income of $21,558.

More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from Otis College of Art and Design

4
Academy of Art University crest
Academy of Art University
San Francisco, CA

Academy of Art University is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in general visual & performing arts. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit university located in the large city of San Francisco.

Those general visual & performing arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Academy of Art University make $3,996 more than the average visual arts grad.

More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from Academy of Art University

5
26 Annual Graduates
$34,425 Median Student Debt

Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from Azusa Pacific University

6

Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public university with a large student population.

Bachelor's recipients from the general visual & performing arts program at California State University - San Marcos make $3,243 more than the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from California State University - San Marcos

7
12 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Camarillo, CSUCI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from California State University - Channel Islands

8
Gnomon crest
Gnomon
Hollywood, CA
48 Annual Graduates

Gnomon is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Hollywood.More information about a bachelor’s in general visual & performing arts from Gnomon

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Washington 226 13
Oregon 185 62

View All Rankings >

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

Visual Arts Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Digital Arts 209
Visual & Performing Arts 207

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 3,997
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 2,722
Design & Applied Arts 2,456
Music 1,666
Drama & Theater Arts 1,591
Dance 300
Arts & Media Management 257
Other Visual Art 28

Notes and References

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College Rankings
Best by Location
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