by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual looked at 47 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 1,934 bachelor's degrees in drama & theater arts to qualified students.
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 complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for drama & theater arts students working on their bachelor's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college 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.
Northwestern University is a great decision for individuals interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Northwestern is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the small city of Evanston.
Students who graduate with their bachelor's from the theater program report average early career wages of $19,245.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Northwestern University
University of Notre Dame is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from University of Notre Dame make $16,660 more than the standard theater student.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Notre Dame
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a great decision for students interested in a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor.
Bachelor's students who receive their degree from the theater program earn about $17,577 in their early career salary.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
It is hard to beat Columbia College Chicago if you want to pursue a bachelor's degree in drama & theater arts. Located in the large 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
Located in the city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly 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
UC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Cincinnati.
Drama & Theater Arts bachelor's degree recipients from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,199 above the average income of drama & theater arts majors.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Cincinnati - Main Campus
Located in the large city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from University of Wisconsin - Madison
Kent State is a fairly large public university located in the suburb of Kent.
Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Kent State University at Kent receive $3,694 more than the standard theater student.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Kent State University at Kent
IU Bloomington is a fairly large public university located in the small city of Bloomington.
After graduation, theater bachelor's recipients typically earn about $20,815 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Indiana University - Bloomington
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus.
Those drama & theater arts students who get their bachelor's degree from Ohio State University - Main Campus earn $3,049 more than the average theater student.
More information about a bachelor’s in drama & theater arts from Ohio State University - Main CampusThese are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 12 | Michigan State University | East Lansing, MI |
| 13 | Ohio University - Athens Campus | Athens, OH |
| 14 | Purdue University - Main Campus | West Lafayette, IN |
| 15 | Western Michigan University | Kalamazoo, MI |
Explore the best drama & theater arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .
Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of Visual & Performing Arts programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theater Arts | 1,154 |
| Musical Theater | 245 |
| Acting | 233 |
| Theater Design & Technology | 182 |
| Comedy Writing and Performance | 44 |
| Theatre and Dance | 27 |
| Directing & Theatrical Production | 19 |
| Other Dramatic/Theatre Arts & Stagecraft | 19 |
| Playwriting & Screenwriting | 6 |
| Theatre Literature, History & Criticism | 5 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,493 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 3,013 |
| Music | 2,245 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,337 |
| Dance | 311 |
| Arts & Media Management | 296 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 286 |
| Other Visual Art | 74 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 12 |
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