2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree School for You
Drama & Theater Arts is the #47 most popular major in California with 2,820 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.
There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 5 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for theater students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Drama & Theater Arts
Our 2023 rankings named San Diego Mesa College the best value school in California for drama and theater arts students working on their associate degree. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 per year.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at San Diego Mesa College Report
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Academy of Art University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Academy of Art University are $25,424 a year.
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The excellent associate degree programs at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value drama and theater arts schools in California. Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
FIDM Los Angeles undergraduate students pay an average of $32,645 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Associate Degree Schools in California list. American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles are $37,230 a year. Theater majors at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles take out an average of $11,484 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $387, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles
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Out of the 5 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, New York Film Academy landed the # 5 spot on the list. New York Film Academy is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Burbank.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New York Film Academy are $34,090 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, theater majors at New York Film Academy accumulate an average of around $16,801 in student debt.
Request InformationBest Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 230 |
| Oregon | 176 |
| Nevada | 82 |
| Hawaii | 20 |
| Alaska | 13 |
More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in California
Drama & Theater Arts Related Majors for Theater
One of 10 majors within the area of study, drama and theater arts has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 5 schools only.
- 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.