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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New Jersey

20 Colleges in New Jersey
2,662 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in visual & performing arts is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #10 out of 38 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. This means you won't have too much trouble finding schools that offer the degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 20 schools in New Jersey to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,662 degrees in visual & performing arts annually.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in New Jersey Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Visual & Performing Arts School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.

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

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 Schools in New Jersey list, to help you choose the best school for you. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.

In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in New Jersey

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the visual & performing arts degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top New Jersey Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$33,214 Median Starting Salary

The College of New Jersey is a great decision for students interested in a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Ewing, TCNJ is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #200 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means TCNJ is a great college overall.

There were approximately 82 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at TCNJ in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from The College of New Jersey make $5,354 more than the typical visual & performing arts graduate.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The College of New Jersey

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
279 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,360 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat Rutgers University - New Brunswick if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Rutgers New Brunswick is a fairly large public university located in the small city of New Brunswick. A Best Colleges rank of #74 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rutgers New Brunswick is a great university overall.

There were roughly 279 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers New Brunswick in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn an average of $26,360 for their early career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rutgers University - New Brunswick

3
Rowan crest
Rowan University
Glassboro, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
173 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,964 Median Starting Salary

Rowan University is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the suburb of Glassboro, Rowan is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #345 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rowan is a great university overall.

There were roughly 173 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rowan 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 income of $26,964.

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

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
91 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$33,881 Median Starting Salary

County College of Morris is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Randolph, County College of Morris is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 29th out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were roughly 91 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at County College of Morris in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from County College of Morris receive an earnings boost of about $6,021 above the typical income of visual & performing arts majors.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from County College of Morris

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
387 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
5.2% Growth in Graduates

Montclair State is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Montclair. A Best Colleges rank of #290 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Montclair State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 387 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Montclair State in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally earn around $24,609 in the first five years of their career.

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

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
122 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
10.7% Growth in Graduates

William Paterson University is a medium-sized public university located in the suburb of Wayne. A Best Colleges rank of #341 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means William Paterson University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 122 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at William Paterson University in the most recent year we have data available. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $25,168.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from William Paterson University of New Jersey

7
Rider crest
Rider University
Lawrenceville, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
119 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,608 Median Starting Salary

Rider is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Lawrenceville. A Best Colleges rank of #323 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rider is a great university overall.

There were roughly 119 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rider in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn about $25,608 in their early careers.

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

8
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
55 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
40.0% Growth in Graduates

Rutgers Camden is a medium-sized public university located in the city of Camden. A Best Colleges rank of #248 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Rutgers Camden is a great university overall.

There were approximately 55 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Camden in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make an average of $24,993 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rutgers University - Camden

9
Kean crest
Kean University
Union, NJ
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
143 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
21.7% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Union, Kean is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 21st out of 45 schools for overall quality in the state of New Jersey.

There were about 143 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Kean in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Kean University earn $6,265 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
44 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,689 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large city of Newark, Rutgers Newark is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #164 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Rutgers Newark is a great university overall.

There were approximately 44 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Rutgers Newark 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 wages of $26,689.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Rutgers University - Newark

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 38 5,399
New York 38 16,395
Maryland 37 2,030
Delaware 33 182
District of Columbia 33 571

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 782
Music 591
Design & Applied Arts 568
Drama & Theater Arts 227
General Visual & Performing Arts 191
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 168
Dance 114
Arts & Media Management 15
Other Visual Art 6

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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