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Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

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2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

112 Colleges
$21,994 Avg Salary
$23,864 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, drama and theater arts was ranked #60 in the country. In fact 17,341 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 112 schools in the Southeast 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 Southeast Region

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

Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

Duke University

Durham, NC

Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Southeast Region . Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Duke University

#2

Emory University

Atlanta, GA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Emory University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Emory is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Emory University

#3

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Virginia Tech. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech 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 North Carolina School of the Arts. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. UNCSA is a small public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

On average, theater graduates from UNCSA take out $27,000 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $553, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 112 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Virginia - Main Campus landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Charlottesville, University of Virginia is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Virginia - Main Campus Report

#6

James Madison University

Harrisonburg, VA

James Madison University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. JMU is a very large public school located in the city of Harrisonburg.

On average, theater graduates from JMU take out $19,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $482, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at James Madison University Report

#7

Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN

Vanderbilt University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Vanderbilt University

#8

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Harding University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Located in the town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Harding University Report

#9

University of Georgia

Athens, GA

University of Georgia landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Athens, UGA is a public school with a fairly large student population.

While working on their degree, theater majors at UGA accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Georgia Report

With a ranking of #10, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill did quite well on this year’s best schools for drama and theater arts students. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Chapel Hill.

While working on their degree, theater majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $20,350 in student debt.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

#11

University of Florida

Gainesville, FL

University of Florida ranked #11 on this year’s Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. UF is a fairly large public school located in the city of Gainesville.

Theater majors at UF take out an average of $15,285 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

John Tyler Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at John Tyler Community College

#13

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Belmont is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Belmont University Report

#14

Valencia College

Orlando, FL

Valencia College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Valencia College Report

#15

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA

With a ranking of #15, Regent University did quite well on this year’s best schools for drama and theater arts students. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

Read More…

#16

University of Arkansas

Fayetteville, AR

University of Arkansas came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Located in the city of Fayetteville, UARK is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Arkansas Report

Honorable Mentions

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

Rank College Location
17 Tulane University of Louisiana New Orleans, LA
18 Auburn University Auburn, AL
19 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
20 The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga Chattanooga, TN
21 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
22 Rollins College Winter Park, FL

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges by State

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

State Degrees Awarded
Georgia 453
Virginia 455
North Carolina 498
Florida 656
Tennessee 203
Kentucky 181
South Carolina 175
Louisiana 168
Arkansas 97
Alabama 147
Mississippi 64
West Virginia 49

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

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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