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Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

100 Colleges
$22,615 Avg Salary
$23,493 Avg Student Debt

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.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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 Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 100 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

Check out the theater programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

Lafayette College

Easton, PA

Our analysis found Lafayette College to be the best school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . Lafayette is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Easton.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Lafayette College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report

#3

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Carnegie Mellon University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Carnegie Mellon is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Carnegie Mellon take out is $25,943.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Carnegie Mellon University Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend American Musical and Dramatic Academy. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of New York, American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Theater majors at American Musical and Dramatic Academy take out an average of $19,500 in student loans while working on their egree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $938.

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

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of New York.

On average, theater graduates from New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts take out $12,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $603.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts Report

#6

The Juilliard School

New York, NY

The Juilliard School came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the city of New York, Juilliard is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#7

St Mary's College of Maryland

St. Mary's City, MD

St Mary’s College of Maryland did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the small suburb of St. Mary's City, SMCM is a public college with a small student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at St Mary’s College of Maryland Report

#8

Skidmore College

Saratoga Springs, NY

Skidmore College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Saratoga Springs, Skidmore is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#9

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large city of Philadelphia, UPenn is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of Pennsylvania

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Pitt is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Pitt take out is $25,989.

Read More…

#11

New York University

New York, NY

New York University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of New York, NYU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, theater graduates from NYU carry an average student debtload of $23,236. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $1,160, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at New York University Report

West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #12 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. WCUPA is a large public school located in the large suburb of West Chester.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania ranked #13 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the distant town of Slippery Rock, SRU is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania Report

#14

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

Messiah University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Messiah University

#15

Towson University

Towson, MD

With a ranking of #15, Towson University did quite well on this year’s best schools for drama and theater arts students. Towson is a very large public school located in the small city of Towson.

After completing their degree, theater graduates from Towson carry an average student debtload of $17,500.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Towson University

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Drama & Theater Arts students in the Middle Atlantic Region that almost earned our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
16 New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ
17 Goucher College Baltimore, MD
18 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
19 American University Washington, DC
20 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best drama and theater arts colleges for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 754
New York 2,542
Maryland 179
New Jersey 210
District of Columbia 67

More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in the Middle Atlantic Region

Drama & Theater Arts is one of 10 different types of programs to choose from.

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.

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