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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Ohio

24 Colleges in Ohio
5,181 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860 Avg Early-Career Salary
If you plan on majoring in visual & performing arts, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #10 in the country in terms of popularity. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.

College Factual looked at 24 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Ohio ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,181 degrees in visual & performing arts annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Ohio The visual & performing arts program you select can have a big impact on your future. That's why we developed our collection of Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts rankings. For our Best Overall Visual & Performing Arts School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Visual & Performing Arts Rankings by 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Ohio ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. If you'd like to restrict your choices to just one part of the country, you can filter this list by location.

In addition to our rankings, you can take two colleges and compare them based on the criteria that matters most to you in our unique tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

If you want to learn more about how we derive our rankings, see College Factual's Methodology.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in Ohio

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the visual & performing arts degree levels they offer.

10 Top Ohio Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
676 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$40,253 Median Starting Salary

Any student pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts needs to check out University of Cincinnati - Main Campus. Located in the city of Cincinnati, UC is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #137 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 676 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at University of Cincinnati - Main Campus get $12,393 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
446 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
8.1% Growth in Graduates

Every student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to check out Kent State University at Kent. Located in the large suburb of Kent, Kent State is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #250 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Kent State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 446 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Kent State in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Kent State University at Kent earn a boost of approximately $3,655 over the typical income of visual & performing arts graduates.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
322 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$31,152 Median Starting Salary

Ohio State University - Main Campus is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Columbus, Ohio State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #70 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.

There were about 322.00000000000006 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at Ohio State University - Main Campus get $3,293 above the typical college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Ohio State University - Main Campus

4
Oberlin crest
Oberlin College
Oberlin, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
215 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
19.1% Growth in Graduates

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts has to check out Oberlin College. Oberlin is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Oberlin. A Best Colleges rank of #517 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Oberlin is a great college overall.

There were about 215.00000000000003 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Oberlin in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $16,932.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
166 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,806 Median Starting Salary

CCAD is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Columbus.

There were approximately 166 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CCAD in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career earnings of $27,806.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Columbus College of Art and Design

6
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
101 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$22,160 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Cleveland, CIA is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

There were about 101 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CIA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make an average of $22,160 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Cleveland Institute of Art

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
340 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
4.1% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Athens, OHIO Athens is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #184 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means OHIO Athens is a great university overall.

There were approximately 340 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at OHIO Athens in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $27,473.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Ohio University - Athens Campus

8
Kenyon crest
Kenyon College
Gambier, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
61 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
44.3% Growth in Graduates

Kenyon is a small private not-for-profit college located in the rural area of Gambier. A Best Colleges rank of #333 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Kenyon is a great college overall.

There were approximately 61.00000000000001 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Kenyon in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make around $23,082 in the first couple years of their career.

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

9
Capital crest
Capital University
Columbus, OH
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
41 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$33,143 Median Starting Salary

Capital is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Columbus. This university ranks 50th out of 91 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were approximately 41 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Capital in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Capital University receive $5,283 more than the average visual & performing arts grad.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
326 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,495 Median Starting Salary

Located in the town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 18th out of 91 colleges for overall quality in the state of Ohio.

There were about 326 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program state that they receive average early career income of $28,495.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Indiana 38 2,243
Michigan 38 3,407
Illinois 38 5,450
Wisconsin 37 2,244

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,960
Music 1,125
Fine & Studio Arts 741
Drama & Theater Arts 522
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 364
General Visual & Performing Arts 205
Arts & Media Management 143
Dance 102
Other Visual Art 17
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 2

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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