Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

112 Colleges
$16,619 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$21,994 Avg Salary

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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 112 schools in the Southeast Region 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.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges.

Top 15% Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

#1

Valencia College

Orlando, FL

Our 2023 rankings named Valencia College the best value school in the Southeast Region for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public school with a very large student population.

Valencia College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,383 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Valencia College also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Valencia College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Tyler Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at John Tyler Community College are $10,803 a year.

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

$8,367 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Western Carolina University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. WCU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Cullowhee.

WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $8,367 in tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from WCU take out $23,551 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $263, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Western Carolina University Report

$11,204 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at University of Southern Mississippi helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best drama and theater arts schools in the Southeast Region . Located in the city of Hattiesburg, Southern Miss is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southern Miss are $11,204 per year.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Southern Mississippi Report

$7,495 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 112 schools in the Southeast Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina at Pembroke landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Pembroke, UNC Pembroke is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

UNC Pembroke undergraduate students pay an average of $7,495 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Carolina at Pembroke Report

$12,698 Average Tuition & Fees

Arkansas State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

A-State undergraduate students pay an average of $12,698 in tuition and fees each year.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Arkansas State University - Main Campus Report

$12,740 Average Tuition & Fees

East Tennessee State University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Johnson City, ETSU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

ETSU undergraduate students pay an average of $12,740 in tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at East Tennessee State University

#8

Regent University

Virginia Beach, VA
$18,820 Average Tuition & Fees

Regent University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. Regent is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Virginia Beach.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Regent are $18,820 a year.

Read More…

University of South Florida - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. USF Tampa is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Tampa.

USF Tampa undergraduate students pay an average of $17,324 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, theater majors at USF Tampa accumulate an average of around $22,772 in student debt.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, USF Tampa also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of South Florida - Main Campus

#10

Harding University

Searcy, AR

Harding University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Located in the distant town of Searcy, Harding is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Harding are $22,230 a year.

Harding excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list.

Read More…

$26,175 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #11, University of North Carolina School of the Arts did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. UNCSA is a small public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNCSA are $26,175 per year. 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.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts Report

Seminole State College of Florida landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. Seminole State is a large public school located in the city of Sanford.

Seminole State undergraduate students pay an average of $11,456 in tuition and fees each year.

Seminole State also claimed a spot on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read More…

$7,756 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #13, Mississippi University for Women did quite well on this year’s best value schools for drama and theater arts students. MUW is a small public school located in the town of Columbus.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MUW are $7,756 per year.

Read More…

$16,934 Average Tuition & Fees

Chattanooga State Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the city of Chattanooga, Chattanooga State Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Chattanooga State Community College are $16,934 per year.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Chattanooga State Community College

#15

Virginia Tech

Blacksburg, VA

Virginia Tech ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public college with a very large student population.

Virginia Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $33,857 in tuition and fees each year.

Virginia Tech excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region list.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Virginia Tech Report

Florida International University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the suburb of Miami, FIU is a public college with a very large student population.

FIU undergraduate students pay an average of $18,963 in tuition and fees each year. Theater majors at FIU take out an average of $17,250 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Southeast Region award.

Rank College Location
17 University of North Georgia Dahlonega, GA
18 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
19 University of New Orleans New Orleans, LA
20 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
21 Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
21 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC

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.

  • 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.