by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 142 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 22,423 bachelor's degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The visual & performing arts bachelor'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 bachelor'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 include a school's overall Best Colleges 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 bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor'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 bachelor'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 Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Any student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts has to take a look at Vanderbilt University. Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Vanderbilt University
Every student pursuing a degree in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts has to look into Belmont University. Located in the large city of Nashville, Belmont is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Belmont University
Savannah College of Art and Design is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Savannah, SCAD is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Savannah College of Art and Design
University of Georgia is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. UGA is a very large public university located in the city of Athens.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Georgia
Florida State is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Tallahassee.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Florida State University
UF is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Florida
Located in the city of Columbia, UofSC is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of South Carolina - Columbia
Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Emory University
Located in the city of Harrisonburg, JMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from James Madison University
Located in the suburb of Coral Gables, U Miami is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Miami
Located in the small city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Virginia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Virginia Tech
Located in the city of Auburn, Auburn is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Auburn University
Elon is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the midsize suburb of Elon.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Elon University
Located in the large city of Winston Salem, UNCSA is a public university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the large city of Atlanta.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus
VCU is a very large public university located in the medium-sized city of Richmond.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Virginia Commonwealth University
University of Virginia is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized suburb of Charlottesville.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Virginia - Main Campus
Located in the medium-sized suburb of Clemson, Clemson is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Clemson University
Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from George Mason University
Located in the large city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from North Carolina State University
Located in the city of Lexington, UK is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Kentucky
Located in the small city of Winchester, Shenandoah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Shenandoah University
Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Central Florida
UT Knoxville is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Knoxville.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from The University of Tennessee - Knoxville
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 29 | University of Alabama in Huntsville | Huntsville, AL |
| 30 | Ringling College of Art and Design | Sarasota, FL |
| 31 | University of Arkansas | Fayetteville, AR |
| 32 | Longwood University | Farmville, VA |
| 33 | Liberty University | Lynchburg, VA |
| 34 | The University of Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL |
| 35 | College of Charleston | Charleston, SC |
| 36 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College | Baton Rouge, LA |
| 37 | Samford University | Birmingham, AL |
| 38 | William & Mary | Williamsburg, VA |
| 39 | Florida Southern College | Lakeland, FL |
| 40 | University of North Carolina at Wilmington | Wilmington, NC |
| 41 | Georgia State University | Atlanta, GA |
| 42 | Loyola University New Orleans | New Orleans, LA |
| 43 | University of North Carolina at Greensboro | Greensboro, NC |
| 44 | West Virginia University | Morgantown, WV |
| 45 | University of South Florida - Main Campus | Tampa, FL |
| 46 | University of North Carolina at Charlotte | Charlotte, NC |
| 47 | University of Louisville | Louisville, KY |
Explore the best visual & performing arts schools for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina | 34 | 2,522 |
| Mississippi | 34 | 432 |
| Florida | 34 | 5,296 |
| Virginia | 34 | 2,570 |
| Alabama | 33 | 1,019 |
| Georgia | 33 | 3,360 |
| West Virginia | 32 | 347 |
| Tennessee | 32 | 2,286 |
| South Carolina | 32 | 1,157 |
| Kentucky | 31 | 894 |
| Louisiana | 31 | 928 |
| Arkansas | 30 | 723 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 5,505 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 4,090 |
| Music | 3,729 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 2,749 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 2,705 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 1,780 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,287 |
| Dance | 470 |
| Other Visual Art | 81 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 27 |
