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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

25 Colleges in the Southwest Region
1,138 Master's Degrees
$33,773 Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular master's degree program in the country. 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 Southwest Region to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,138 master's degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

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

Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of visual & performing arts for getting your master's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality visual & performing arts program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Average Early-Career Salaries

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.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Master’s Students to Study Visual & Performing Arts in the Southwest Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in visual & performing arts.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools for a Master's in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

Texas Christian University is a great decision for students pursuing a master's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Texas Christian University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
98 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in visual & performing arts has to take a look at The University of Texas at Austin. Located in the city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Austin

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in a master's degree in visual & performing arts has to check out Southern Methodist University. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Southern Methodist University

4
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
26 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in a master's degree in visual & performing arts has to take a look at Sam Houston State University. Located in the distant town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Sam Houston State University

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
30 Annual Graduates

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Waco.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Baylor University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
15 Annual Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Richardson, UT Dallas is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Dallas

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
105 Annual Graduates

ASU - Tempe is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Tempe.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Arizona State University - Tempe

8
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
109 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of North Texas

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
43 Annual Graduates

Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the large city of Lubbock.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from Texas Tech University

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
36 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Tucson, University of Arizona is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in visual & performing arts from University of Arizona

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 32 182
Texas 32 805
Oklahoma 32 108
New Mexico 31 39

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Music 616
Fine & Studio Arts 208
Drama & Theater Arts 111
Design & Applied Arts 105
Dance 37
Arts & Media Management 31
General Visual & Performing Arts 17
Other Visual Art 9
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 4

Notes and References

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