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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

24 Colleges in the Rocky Mountains Region
5,350 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 24 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 5,350 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region 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. 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.

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

The visual & performing arts school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region. 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 the Rocky Mountains Region

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 Rocky Mountains Region Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
U of U crest
University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
413 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,883 Median Starting Salary

University of Utah is a good decision for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Salt Lake City, U of U is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #213 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means U of U is a great university overall.

There were approximately 413 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at U of U in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at University of Utah make $2,023 more than the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
2.0% Growth in Graduates

University of Denver is a good choice for students interested in a degree in visual & performing arts. DU is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Denver. A Best Colleges rank of #174 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means DU is a great university overall.

There were about 151 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at DU in the most recent data year. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn around $23,444 in the first five years of their career.

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

3
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
226 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$36,557 Median Starting Salary

Colorado State University - Fort Collins is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the midsize city of Fort Collins, Colorado State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #178 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Colorado State is a great university overall.

There were approximately 226 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Colorado State in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Colorado State University - Fort Collins make $8,697 more than the standard visual & performing arts grad.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Colorado State University - Fort Collins

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
283 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$25,589 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to take a look at University of Colorado Boulder. Located in the medium-sized city of Boulder, CU - Boulder is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #145 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CU - Boulder is a great university overall.

There were roughly 283 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CU - Boulder in the most recent data year. After graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make about $25,589 in the first five years of their career.

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

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
331 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,155 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #257 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means BYU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 331 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at BYU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn about $29,155 in their early career salary.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Brigham Young University - Provo

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
54 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$20,533 Median Starting Salary

CCA is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Aurora. A Best Colleges rank of #546 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means CCA is a great college overall.

There were roughly 54 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at CCA in the most recent year we have data available. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $20,533 in the first couple years of their career.

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

7
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
92 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
3.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the town of Moscow, U of I is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 2nd out of 10 colleges for overall quality in the state of Idaho.

There were roughly 92 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at U of I in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from University of Idaho make $5,394 more than the average visual & performing arts graduate.

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

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
177 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
23.2% Growth in Graduates

MSU Bozeman is a large public university located in the small city of Bozeman. This university ranks 2nd out of 12 colleges for overall quality in the state of Montana.

There were about 177 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at MSU Bozeman in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Montana State University get an earnings boost of about $3,388 above the typical earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

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

9
Salt Lake Community College crest
Salt Lake Community College
Salt Lake City, UT
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
77 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$34,227 Median Starting Salary

Salt Lake Community College is a very large public college located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City. A Best Colleges rank of #443 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Salt Lake Community College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 77 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Salt Lake Community College in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Salt Lake Community College receive $6,367 more than the typical visual & performing arts graduate.

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

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
128 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$29,829 Median Starting Salary

RMCAD is a small private for-profit college located in the suburb of Lakewood.

There were approximately 128 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at RMCAD in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $29,829 for their early career.

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

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Colorado 38 1,939
Utah 37 1,866
Montana 36 318
Idaho 36 591
Wyoming 32 179

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 1,356
Fine & Studio Arts 1,197
Music 1,032
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 844
Drama & Theater Arts 558
Dance 178
General Visual & Performing Arts 104
Arts & Media Management 55
Other Visual Art 26

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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