by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 36 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,757 master's degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The visual & performing arts master's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a college's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their master's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your master's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for visual & performing arts students working on their master's degree.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in visual & performing arts.
Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in visual & performing arts needs to look into University of Southern California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of Southern California
Every student who is interested in a master's degree in visual & performing arts needs to check out Chapman University. Located in the midsize city of Orange, Chapman is a private not-for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Chapman University
San Francisco Conservatory of Music is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of San Francisco, SFCM is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from San Francisco Conservatory of Music
University of California - Los Angeles is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a master's degree in visual & performing arts. UCLA is a very large public university located in the large city of Los Angeles.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of California - Los Angeles
Located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of California - Berkeley
UC Davis is a very large public university located in the suburb of Davis.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of California - Davis
Located in the city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of California - San Diego
Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of California - Santa Cruz
Located in the city of San Francisco, California College of the Arts is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from California College of the Arts
UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Explore the best visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| California | 33 | 2,317 |
| Washington | 31 | 109 |
| Oregon | 29 | 157 |
| Hawaii | 27 | 23 |
| Nevada | 27 | 45 |
| Alaska | 21 | 3 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 890 |
| Music | 705 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 446 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 313 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 213 |
| Arts & Media Management | 76 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 54 |
| Dance | 53 |
| Other Visual Art | 7 |
