by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 13 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 734 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Your choice of drama & theater arts for getting your bachelor's degree school matters. Important measures of a quality theater program can vary widely even among the top schools. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their bachelor's degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. After all, your bachelor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts.
It's hard to beat Northwestern University if you wish to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Evanston.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $19,245.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University
Columbia College Chicago is a great decision for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, Columbia is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career income of $17,929.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Columbia College Chicago
DePaul University is a wonderful option for individuals pursuing a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program state that they receive average early career wages of $22,021.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from DePaul University
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the small city of Champaign, UIUC is a public university with a very large student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program make an average of $22,159 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UIC is a very large public university located in the large city of Chicago.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $14,938 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Illinois at Chicago
Millikin is a small private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Decatur.
Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Millikin University earn $2,734 more than the typical theater graduate.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Millikin University
Located in the small city of Bloomington, Illinois Wesleyan is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program earn around $19,490 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Illinois Wesleyan University
Located in the suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public university with a fairly large student population.
Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from Illinois State University get an earnings boost of around $7,679 over the average income of drama & theater arts graduates.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Illinois State University
Located in the city of Chicago, Roosevelt is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Bachelor's graduates who receive their degree from the theater program earn an average of $21,001 for their early career.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Roosevelt University
Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program report average early career earnings of $20,416.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from North Central CollegeExplore all the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.
Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 1,222 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 735 |
| Music | 557 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 446 |
| Arts & Media Management | 144 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 75 |
| Dance | 47 |
| Other Visual Art | 37 |
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