Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools

2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools

34 Colleges
$18,693 Avg Salary
$14,037 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 17,341 people earned a degree or certificate in drama and theater arts, making the major the #60 most popular in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

The Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 34 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in the United States

The colleges and universities below are the best for theater majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts to be the best school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. KD Conservatory is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Dallas.

Theater majors at KD Conservatory take out an average of $20,104 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $165.

Read More…

Request Information

The excellent associate degree programs at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in the United States. Located in the large city of New York, New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Theater majors at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts take out an average of $15,833 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $603.

Read More…

Request Information

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American Musical and Dramatic Academy. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at American Musical and Dramatic Academy

Request Information

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend John Tyler Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Read More…

Request Information
#5

LaGuardia Community College

Long Island City, NY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend LaGuardia Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list. LaGuardia is a fairly large public school located in the city of Long Island City.

While working on their Associate Degree, theater majors at LaGuardia accumulate an average of around $7,806 in student debt.

Read More…

Request Information

American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York ranked #6 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

While working on their Associate Degree, theater majors at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York accumulate an average of around $11,484 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $387.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - New York Report

Request Information
#7

Valencia College

Orlando, FL

Valencia College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Request Information

American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree drama and theater arts programs. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

After completing their Associate Degree, theater graduates from American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles carry an average student debtload of $11,484. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $387.

Read More…

Request Information

Austin Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for drama and theater arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a very large student population.

Read More…

Request Information

Weber State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Ogden, WSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Request Information

Drama & Theater Arts by Region

View the Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Theater

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778
General Visual & Performing Arts 6,355

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Donald Judge.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.