2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts 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.
The Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 42 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value programs for theater students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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.
Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools
Our analysis found San Diego Mesa College to be the best value school for drama and theater arts students who want to pursue a degree in California. San Diego Mesa College is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at San Diego Mesa College are $1,144 a year.
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The excellent programs at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in California. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo are $10,195 per year.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo also claimed a spot on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means San Jose State University is a great value for drama and theater arts students. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Jose.
San Jose State undergraduate students pay an average of $7,852 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, San Jose State also is in the top 20% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California ranking.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California list. Cal State Fullerton is a very large public school located in the suburb of Fullerton.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State Fullerton are $6,976 per year. While working on their degree, theater majors at Cal State Fullerton accumulate an average of around $19,500 in student debt.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at California State University - Fullerton Report
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Out of the 42 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - East Bay landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Cal State East Bay is a public school with a large student population.
Cal State East Bay undergraduate students pay an average of $6,995 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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Sonoma State University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.
SSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,988 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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San Francisco State University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a very large student population.
SFSU undergraduate students pay an average of $7,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from SFSU take out $17,250 in student loans while working on their degree.
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California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California list. CSULB is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Beach.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CSULB are $6,846 per year. While working on their degree, theater majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $21,500 in student debt.
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California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Pomona, Cal Poly Pomona is a public school with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Poly Pomona are $7,439 a year.
Full Drama & Theater Arts at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Report
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California State University - Los Angeles ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Cal State LA is a public college with a very large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cal State LA are $6,785 per year. The average amount in student loans that theater majors at Cal State LA take out is $12,785.
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 25 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.
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More about our data sources and methodologies.
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