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2025 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

25 Colleges in the Southeast Region
2,101 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,435 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in general visual & performing arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #116 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for general visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,101 degrees in general visual & performing arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great General Visual & Performing Arts School

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region The visual arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for General Visual & Performing Arts rankings. For our Best Overall General Visual & Performing 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.

General Visual & Performing Arts Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Visual Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Visual Arts
Master's Degrees in Visual Arts

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for General Visual & Performing Arts in the Southeast 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 visual arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Visual Arts

1
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
11.8% Growth in Graduates

University of Florida is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. UF is a very large public university located in the city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were approximately 68 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent data year. General Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from University of Florida receive an earnings boost of around $3,194 above the typical earnings of general visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Florida

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
10.1% Growth in Graduates

George Mason University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #92 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means GMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 119 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at GMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the general visual & performing arts program at George Mason University get $4,506 above the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from George Mason University

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
481 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Central Florida if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #217 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 481 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCF in the most recent year we have data available. Those general visual & performing arts students who get their degree from University of Central Florida earn $8,471 more than the average visual arts graduate.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Central Florida

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
83 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
45.8% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat University of Kentucky if you wish to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #220 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UK is a great university overall.

There were roughly 83 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UK in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program make about $26,343 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of Kentucky

5
Longwood crest
Longwood University
Farmville, VA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In VA

Longwood is a small public university located in the distant town of Farmville. This university ranks 31st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Virginia.

There were approximately 25 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Longwood in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Longwood University

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
42 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,656 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Newport News, CNU is a public university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #479 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CNU is a great university overall.

There were about 42 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CNU in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program make about $23,656 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Christopher Newport University

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$26,913 Median Starting Salary

Stetson is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of DeLand. This university ranks 51st out of 70 schools for overall quality in the state of Florida.

There were roughly 21 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Stetson in the most recent data year. After graduating, visual arts degree recipients usually make an average of $26,913 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Stetson University

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$24,839 Median Starting Salary

Located in the remote town of Cleveland, Delta State University is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 20th out of 24 colleges for overall quality in the state of Mississippi.

There were roughly 16 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Delta State University in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, visual arts degree recipients typically earn an average of $24,839 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Delta State University

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In VA

Northern Virginia Community College is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Annandale. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Northern Virginia Community College is a great college overall.

There were about 19 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Northern Virginia Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Northern Virginia Community College

10
Mississippi State crest
Mississippi State University
Mississippi State, MS
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
46 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
8.7% Growth in Graduates

Mississippi State is a very large public university located in the remote town of Mississippi State. A Best Colleges rank of #583 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Mississippi State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 46 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Mississippi State in the most recent year we have data available. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program make an average of $24,752 for their early career.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Mississippi State University

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best general visual & performing arts schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 90
Florida 282 945
North Carolina 279 73
Virginia 274 255
Tennessee 269 57
South Carolina 248 19
Kentucky 244 52
Louisiana 242 39
Mississippi 234 156
Arkansas 234 5
Alabama 233 4
West Virginia 207 23

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 1,455
Visual & Performing Arts 646

View All Visual Arts Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 8,008
Fine & Studio Arts 6,112
Music 5,431
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 3,857
Drama & Theater Arts 3,274
Arts & Media Management 1,830
Dance 544
Other Visual Art 204
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 39
Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art 1

View All Visual Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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