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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania

32 Colleges in Pennsylvania
5,316 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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 32 schools in Pennsylvania 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 5,316 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

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 Pennsylvania Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
314 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$48,000 Median Starting Salary

Carnegie Mellon University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Carnegie Mellon is a large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #8 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Carnegie Mellon is a great university overall.

There were about 314 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Carnegie Mellon University get an earnings boost of approximately $20,141 over the average income of visual & performing arts graduates.

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

2
UPenn crest
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
118 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
3.4% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat University of Pennsylvania if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UPenn is a great university overall.

There were approximately 117.99999999999999 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UPenn in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at University of Pennsylvania earn $7,206 more than the average graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

3
Drexel crest
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
368 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$33,960 Median Starting Salary

Drexel University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Drexel is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #115 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Drexel is a great university overall.

There were about 368 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Drexel in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Drexel University earn $6,100 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Temple crest
Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
589 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,482 Median Starting Salary

Temple University is a good option for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Temple is a very large public university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #97 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Temple is a great university overall.

There were about 589 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Temple in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn about $24,482 for their early career.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
76 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$36,433 Median Starting Salary

Thomas Jefferson University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Philadelphia. A Best Colleges rank of #89 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Thomas Jefferson University is a great university overall.

There were roughly 76 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Thomas Jefferson University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Thomas Jefferson University make $8,573 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

6
Messiah crest
Messiah University
Mechanicsburg, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
82 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$66,109 Median Starting Salary

Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 40th out of 103 colleges for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.

There were about 82 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Messiah in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Messiah University make $38,249 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
108 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,399 Median Starting Salary

Pitt is a very large public university located in the city of Pittsburgh. A Best Colleges rank of #85 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Pitt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 108 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Pitt 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 wages of $27,399.

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

8
Muhlenberg crest
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, PA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
134 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$19,489 Median Starting Salary

Located in the midsize city of Allentown, Muhlenberg is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #331 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Muhlenberg is a great college overall.

There were roughly 134 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Muhlenberg in the most recent data year. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn about $19,489 in the first five years of their career.

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

9
UArts crest
The University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
345 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$17,396 Median Starting Salary

UArts is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Philadelphia.

There were about 345 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UArts in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make about $17,396 in the first couple years of working.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The University of the Arts

10
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
66 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$18,242 Median Starting Salary

PAFA is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

There were about 66 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at PAFA in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients usually earn an average of $18,242 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

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
New Jersey 38 2,567
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
Design & Applied Arts 1,171
Fine & Studio Arts 1,141
Music 967
Drama & Theater Arts 742
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 590
Dance 272
Arts & Media Management 241
General Visual & Performing Arts 183
Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry 8
Other Visual Art 1

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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