by our College Data Analytics TeamIn 2025, College Factual analyzed 43 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,061 bachelor's degrees in visual & performing arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of visual & performing arts for getting your bachelor'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:
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 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 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.
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 colleges for visual & performing arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list to help you make the college decision.
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.
Every student who is interested in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts needs to take a look at Iowa State University. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Iowa State University
Washington University in St Louis is a good option for students interested in a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Washington University in St Louis
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities is a good choice for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
University of Iowa is a great option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in visual & performing arts. Iowa is a very large public university located in the city of Iowa City.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Iowa
Located in the large city of Kansas City, Kansas City Art Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Kansas City Art Institute
Luther is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Decorah.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Luther College
St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Northfield.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from St Olaf College
KU is a very large public university located in the small city of Lawrence.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Kansas
Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from University of Northern Iowa
MCAD is a fairly small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a bachelor’s in visual & performing arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Explore the best visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 35 | 1,536 |
| Kansas | 33 | 688 |
| Minnesota | 33 | 1,296 |
| Iowa | 32 | 1,051 |
| South Dakota | 31 | 166 |
| Nebraska | 31 | 492 |
| North Dakota | 30 | 126 |
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,410 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 1,347 |
| Music | 858 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 648 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 452 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 222 |
| Dance | 76 |
| Arts & Media Management | 44 |
| Other Visual Art | 4 |
