2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You
Drama & Theater Arts is the #60 most popular major in the country with 17,341 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 77 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for theater majors pursuing a .
Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools
Our 2023 rankings named University of Notre Dame the best school in the Great Lakes Region for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, theater graduates from Notre Dame take out $20,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northwestern University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
On average, theater graduates from Northwestern take out $16,333 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Wisconsin - Madison. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Madison, UW - Madison is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Ann Arbor, U-M is a public college with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that theater majors at U-M take out is $18,750.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of Evansville is a great place for drama and theater arts students. UE is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Evansville.
After completing their degree, theater graduates from UE carry an average student debtload of $23,970.
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Purdue University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue is a public school with a very large student population.
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Miami University - Oxford came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the fringe town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Miami University - Oxford take out is $27,000.
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Michigan State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of East Lansing.
On average, theater graduates from Michigan State take out $26,294 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. UW - Stevens Point is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Stevens Point.
After completing their degree, theater graduates from UW - Stevens Point carry an average student debtload of $27,000.
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University of Wisconsin - La Crosse landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. UW - La Crosse is a fairly large public school located in the city of La Crosse.
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With a ranking of #11, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire did quite well on this year’s best schools for drama and theater arts students. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, UW - Eau Claire is a public college with a fairly large student population.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Drama & Theater Arts students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 | University of Wisconsin - Whitewater | Whitewater, WI |
| 13 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 14 | Illinois State University | Normal, IL |
| 15 | University of Dayton | Dayton, OH |
Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State
Explore the best drama and theater arts schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Michigan | 364 |
| Ohio | 523 |
| Illinois | 855 |
| Indiana | 315 |
| Wisconsin | 259 |
More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in the Great Lakes Region
Drama & Theater Arts Related Rankings by Major
Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.