50
Colleges in the Plains States Region
7,511
Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,860
Avg Early-Career Salary
Visual & Performing Arts is above average in terms of popularity with it being the #10 most popular degree program in the country. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 50 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 7,511 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings
Your choice of visual & performing arts school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for visual & performing arts schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
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 the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you.
Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Read more about College Factual's methodology.
The schools below may not offer all types of visual & performing arts degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is hard to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the small city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #88 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 272 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Iowa State University make $9,668 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Iowa State University
Washington University in St Louis is a wonderful option for students interested in a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #21 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.
There were about 164 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts major at Washington University in St Louis get $5,755 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Washington University in St Louis
Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to check out University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Located in the city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #45 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.
There were approximately 413 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduation, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally make about $29,715 in their early careers.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
It's hard to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Iowa is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #80 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.
There were approximately 360 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Iowa 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 $28,867.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Iowa
Located in the large city of Kansas City, Kansas City Art Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
There were approximately 120 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Kansas City Art Institute in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make about $25,541 in their early career salary.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Kansas City Art Institute
Luther is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Decorah. This college ranks 9th out of 37 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.
There were approximately 74 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent data year. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Luther College earn $17,507 more than the typical visual & performing arts student.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Luther College
St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the distant town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #301 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.
There were roughly 106 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients generally earn around $25,631 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from St Olaf College
Located in the city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 4th out of 44 colleges for overall quality in the state of Kansas.
There were about 111 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at JCCC in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the visual & performing arts degree program at Johnson County Community College get $4,170 above the average college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Johnson County Community College
KU is a very large public university located in the city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #192 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.
There were approximately 307 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at KU 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 $29,338.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Kansas
MCAD is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of Minneapolis.
There were approximately 119 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at MCAD 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 $22,234.
More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Minneapolis College of Art and Design
