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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington

15 Colleges in Washington
1,877 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860 Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 15 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,877 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Washington Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for visual & performing arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Pick Your Visual & Performing Arts Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Bachelor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Master's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts
Doctor's Degrees in Visual & Performing Arts

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 Schools in Washington list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in Washington

The schools below may not offer all types of visual & performing arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Washington Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
372 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
5.4% Growth in Graduates

University of Washington - Seattle Campus is a good option for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Seattle, UW Seattle is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #44 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UW Seattle is a great university overall.

There were about 372 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at University of Washington - Seattle Campus get $4,194 more than the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Washington - Seattle Campus

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
216 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,466 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts has to check out Western Washington University. WWU is a large public university located in the small city of Bellingham. A Best Colleges rank of #287 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WWU is a great university overall.

There were about 216 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at WWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $25,466.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Western Washington University

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
68 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
13.2% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat Seattle Pacific University if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. SPU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. This university ranks 12th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were approximately 68 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at SPU in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Seattle Pacific University earn a boost of around $11,127 over the typical income of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Seattle Pacific University

4
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
$23,743 Median Starting Salary

University of Puget Sound is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the midsize city of Tacoma, Puget Sound is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 14th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 20 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Puget Sound in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make around $23,743 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Puget Sound

5
Seattle U crest
Seattle University
Seattle, WA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$39,857 Median Starting Salary

Seattle U is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Seattle. A Best Colleges rank of #155 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Seattle U is a great university overall.

There were about 80 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Seattle U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Seattle University make $11,997 above the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Seattle University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
100 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
17.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Pullman, Wazzu is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #182 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Wazzu is a great university overall.

There were approximately 100 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Wazzu in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Washington State University get an earnings boost of about $16,963 over the average earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Washington State University

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
18.2% Growth in Graduates

Located in the distant town of Ellensburg, CWU is a public university with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #339 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means CWU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 165 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CWU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $25,253.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Central Washington University

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In WA
117 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded

Shoreline Community College is a small public college located in the suburb of Shoreline. This college ranks 23rd out of 50 schools for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 117 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Shoreline Community College in the most recent year we have data available.

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

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
48 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
4.2% Growth in Graduates

Seattle Central is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Seattle. This college ranks 15th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were about 48 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Seattle Central in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make an average of $29,775 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Seattle Central College

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
112 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$20,456 Median Starting Salary

Cornish College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Seattle.

There were approximately 112 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Cornish College of the Arts in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients usually make an average of $20,456 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Cornish College of the Arts

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 38 22,287
Oregon 37 1,654
Hawaii 36 196
Nevada 35 553
Alaska 33 60

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 651
Music 387
Fine & Studio Arts 373
Drama & Theater Arts 191
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 177
Dance 44
Arts & Media Management 32
Other Visual Art 14
General Visual & Performing Arts 8

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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