College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

2025 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region

10 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
1,366 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 10 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,366 degrees in general visual & performing arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great General Visual & Performing Arts School

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of general visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your General Visual & Performing Arts Degree Level

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

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 Schools in the Far Western US Region. 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 Far Western US 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 Far Western US Region Schools in Visual Arts

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
56 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded

University of Southern California is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. USC is a very 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 56 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In CA
83 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded

It's hard to beat University of California - San Diego if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. UCSD is a very large public university located in the city of La Jolla. A Best Colleges rank of #49 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UCSD is a great university overall.

There were roughly 83 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UCSD in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from University of California - San Diego

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
42.2% Growth in Graduates

Otis College of Art and Design is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

There were approximately 90 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Otis College of Art and Design in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual arts degree recipients typically make an average of $21,558 in their early careers.

More information about a degree 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
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
27.6% Growth in Graduates

Academy of Art University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 47th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 87 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Academy of Art University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program earn about $28,494 in their early career salary.

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

5
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In CA
38 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded

Azusa Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Azusa. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.

There were roughly 38 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent data year.

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

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
22.4% Growth in Graduates

CSUSM is a large public university located in the suburb of San Marcos. This university ranks 65th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 76 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual arts program report average early career income of $27,741.

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

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA

CSUCI is a moderately-sized public university located in the rural area of Camarillo. This university ranks 95th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 10 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CSUCI in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from California State University - Channel Islands

8

Pacific Northwest College of Art is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Portland.

There were roughly 14 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Pacific Northwest College of Art in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program earn about $13,895 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Pacific Northwest College of Art

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,247 Median Starting Salary

Cal State LA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles. This university ranks 87th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 2 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Cal State LA in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program make an average of $22,247 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from California State University - Los Angeles

10
Gnomon crest
Gnomon
Hollywood, CA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In CA

Located in the large city of Hollywood, Gnomon is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

There were about 29 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Gnomon in the most recent year we have data available.

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

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best general visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 1,152
Washington 300 13
Oregon 266 66
Nevada 192 20

View All Rankings >

General Visual & Performing Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.

Visual Arts Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Visual & Performing Arts 1,010
Digital Arts 356

View All Visual Arts 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
Drama & Theater Arts 3,242
Dance 607
Arts & Media Management 391
Other Visual Art 74
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 6

View All Visual Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options