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2024 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

51 Colleges in the Plains States Region
7,381 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,498 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.

For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 51 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for visual & performing arts students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 7,381 degrees in visual & performing arts to qualified students.

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

Choosing a Great Visual & Performing Arts School

Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region 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.

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 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.

Best Schools for Visual & Performing Arts in the Plains States Region

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.

10 Top Plains States Region Schools in Visual & Performing Arts

1
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
5.8% Growth in Graduates

Washington University in St Louis is a good choice for students pursuing a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #17 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means WUSTL is a great university overall.

There were roughly 172 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 earn $2,277 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from Washington University in St Louis

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
283 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
5.7% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat Iowa State University if you want to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Located in the city of Ames, Iowa State is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #75 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Iowa State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 283 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 $2,080 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.

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

3
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
394 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,828 Median Starting Salary

Any student who is interested in visual & performing arts needs to look into University of Minnesota - Twin Cities. Located in the large city of Minneapolis, UMN Twin Cities is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #51 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UMN Twin Cities is a great university overall.

There were approximately 394 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program earn an average of $27,828 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

4
Iowa crest
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
391 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
2.3% Growth in Graduates

It's difficult to beat University of Iowa if you wish to pursue a degree in visual & performing arts. Iowa is a very large public university located in the small city of Iowa City. A Best Colleges rank of #84 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Iowa is a great university overall.

There were about 391 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 report average early career earnings of $28,303.

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

5
St. Olaf crest
St Olaf College
Northfield, MN
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
110 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$23,978 Median Starting Salary

St. Olaf is a small private not-for-profit college located in the town of Northfield. A Best Colleges rank of #190 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means St. Olaf is a great college overall.

There were roughly 110 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at St. Olaf in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career earnings of $23,978.

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

6
Drake crest
Drake University
Des Moines, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
16.9% Growth in Graduates

Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 5th out of 40 schools for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were roughly 59 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Drake in the most recent data year. Graduates who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make an average of $25,357 in their early career salary.

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

7
Luther crest
Luther College
Decorah, IA
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
65 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$30,819 Median Starting Salary

Luther is a small private not-for-profit college located in the remote town of Decorah. This college ranks 7th out of 40 colleges for overall quality in the state of Iowa.

There were about 65 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Luther in the most recent year we have data available. Those visual & performing arts students who get their degree from Luther College earn $3,321 more than the average visual & performing arts grad.

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

8
KU crest
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
293 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$28,942 Median Starting Salary

KU is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Lawrence. A Best Colleges rank of #141 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means KU is a great university overall.

There were about 293 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at KU in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the visual & performing arts program make about $28,942 for their early career.

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

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
127 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
6.3% Growth in Graduates

Located in the city of Cedar Falls, UNI is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #199 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means UNI is a great university overall.

There were roughly 127 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at UNI in the most recent year we have data available. Soon after graduating, visual & performing arts degree recipients usually earn about $28,819 in the first five years of their career.

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

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Visual & Performing Arts Degrees Awarded
$27,202 Median Starting Salary

Mizzou is a very large public university located in the midsize city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #124 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Mizzou is a great university overall.

There were roughly 137 visual & performing arts students who graduated with this degree at Mizzou in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the visual & performing arts program report average early career income of $27,202.

More information about a degree in visual & performing arts from University of Missouri - Columbia

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual & performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Kansas 38 918
Minnesota 38 1,711
Iowa 38 1,292
South Dakota 38 188
Missouri 38 1,886
Nebraska 36 727
North Dakota 35 160

View All Rankings >

Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Design & Applied Arts 2,327
Fine & Studio Arts 1,752
Music 1,308
Drama & Theater Arts 951
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 540
General Visual & Performing Arts 302
Dance 112
Arts & Media Management 68
Other Visual Art 21

View All Visual & Performing Arts Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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