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2025 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Texas

34 Colleges in Texas
8,544 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.

In 2025, College Factual analyzed 34 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Texas ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,544 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 Texas Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. 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.

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 Texas list, to help you choose the best school for you. 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 Texas

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 Texas Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
593 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
2.2% Growth in Graduates

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were about 593 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from The University of Texas at Austin get an earnings boost of around $5,619 above the average income of visual & performing arts graduates.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$21,221 Median Starting Salary

It is hard to beat Texas Christian University if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Fort Worth, TCU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #112 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means TCU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 165 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at TCU in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically earn an average of $21,221 at the beginning of their careers.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
792 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$30,317 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat University of North Texas if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #310 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UNT is a great university overall.

There were approximately 792 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at University of North Texas earn $2,457 above the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.

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

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
196 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$30,310 Median Starting Salary

Southern Methodist University is a great choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were approximately 196 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent data year. Visual & Performing Arts degree recipients from Southern Methodist University earn a boost of around $2,450 above the average earnings of visual & performing arts graduates.

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

5
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
353 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$26,972 Median Starting Salary

Located in the medium-sized city of Richardson, UT Dallas is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #209 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Dallas is a great university overall.

There were approximately 353 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UT Dallas in the most recent year we have data available. After graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients typically make about $26,972 in their early careers.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from The University of Texas at Dallas

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
242 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
25.2% Growth in Graduates

Collin County Community College District is a very large public college located in the large suburb of McKinney. A Best Colleges rank of #386 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Collin County Community College District is a great college overall.

There were about 242 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Collin County Community College District in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Collin County Community College District receive $5,596 more than the standard visual & performing arts graduate.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Collin County Community College District

7
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
252 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$39,372 Median Starting Salary

Texas Tech is a very large public university located in the large city of Lubbock. A Best Colleges rank of #161 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Texas Tech is a great university overall.

There were roughly 252 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas Tech in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts program at Texas Tech University get $11,512 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

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

8
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
540 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
2.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 16th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 540 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Texas State University get $9,003 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

9
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
184 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$24,520 Median Starting Salary

Baylor is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Waco. A Best Colleges rank of #150 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Baylor is a great university overall.

There were roughly 184 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Baylor 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 $24,520.

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

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
460 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
40.4% Growth in Graduates

Austin Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the city of Austin. This college ranks 20th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 460 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Austin Community College District make $9,960 above the standard college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

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

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Southwest Region

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

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Arizona 38 2,287
New Mexico 38 489
Oklahoma 38 1,200

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Music 2,189
Fine & Studio Arts 1,933
Design & Applied Arts 1,870
Drama & Theater Arts 994
General Visual & Performing Arts 756
Arts & Media Management 276
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 264
Dance 262

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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