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

13 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,008 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,435 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in general visual & performing arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #116 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 13 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,008 degrees in general visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great General Visual & Performing Arts School

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest 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. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for general visual & performing arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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
Doctor'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 Southwest Region list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 General Visual & Performing Arts in the Southwest Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the visual arts degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Visual Arts

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
116 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
27.6% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in general visual & performing arts needs to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 116 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Those general visual & performing arts students who get their degree from The University of Texas at Austin earn $2,272 more than the average visual arts graduate.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In TX

It is hard to beat Texas Tech University if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were about 13 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent year we have data available.

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

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$22,817 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat Arizona State University - Tempe if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Tempe, ASU - Tempe is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #108 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means ASU - Tempe is a great university overall.

There were roughly 21 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at ASU - Tempe in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual arts program state that they receive average early career income of $22,817.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
348 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

It is hard to beat The University of Texas at Dallas if you want to pursue a degree in general visual & performing arts. UT Dallas is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Richardson. A Best Colleges rank of #209 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Dallas is a great university overall.

There were about 348 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Dallas in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual arts degree recipients usually make about $28,494 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Dallas

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
40.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #506 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Austin Community College District is a great college overall.

There were roughly 119 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent data year. Those general visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Austin Community College District receive $2,234 more than the standard visual arts student.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Austin Community College District

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
78 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
19.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 31st out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were approximately 78 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at San Jacinto College in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual arts program earn about $21,173 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from San Jacinto Community College

7
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$27,824 Median Starting Salary

Located in the city of Tempe, University of Advancing Technology is a private for-profit university with a small student population.

There were about 20 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at University of Advancing Technology in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual arts program report average early career income of $27,824.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
13.0% Growth in Graduates

Grand Canyon University is a very large private for-profit university located in the large city of Phoenix. A Best Colleges rank of #144 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Grand Canyon University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 54 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Grand Canyon University in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual arts program make an average of $24,691 in the first couple years of working.

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

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
49 Visual Arts Degrees Awarded
6.1% Growth in Graduates

Pima County Community College District is a large public college located in the large city of Tucson. This college ranks 10th out of 26 schools for overall quality in the state of Arizona.

There were about 49 general visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Pima County Community College District in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, visual arts degree recipients usually make an average of $25,344 at the beginning of their careers.

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

10
Tarleton crest
Tarleton State University
Stephenville, TX
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type

Located in the remote town of Stephenville, Tarleton is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 48th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.More information about a degree in general visual & performing arts from Tarleton State University

Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 317 593
Arizona 287 138
Oklahoma 257 29
New Mexico 219 67

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 699
Visual & Performing Arts 309

View All Visual Arts Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 7,759
Design & Applied Arts 3,281
Music 2,883
Drama & Theater Arts 1,377
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 1,084
Dance 425
Arts & Media Management 383
Other Visual Art 13

View All Visual Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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