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Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

17 Colleges
$16,677 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$23,420 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts School for You

In 2020-2021, 498 degrees and certificates were awarded to drama and theater arts students who went to a North Carolina college or university. This makes it the #47 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in North Carolina 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. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina

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

Top 10 Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools

$4,367 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Western Carolina University the best value school in North Carolina for drama and theater arts students. Located in the distant town of Cullowhee, WCU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

WCU undergraduate students pay an average of $4,367 in in-state 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at Western Carolina University

$3,495 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Pembroke is a great value for drama and theater arts students. UNC Pembroke is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Pembroke.

UNC Pembroke undergraduate students pay an average of $3,495 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

$8,941 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 17 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, University of North Carolina School of the Arts landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Winston-Salem, UNCSA is a public school with a small student population.

UNCSA undergraduate students pay an average of $8,941 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Read full report on Drama & Theater Arts at University of North Carolina School of the Arts

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the city of Chapel Hill, UNC Chapel Hill is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Chapel Hill are $9,028 per year. While working on their degree, theater majors at UNC Chapel Hill accumulate an average of around $20,350 in student debt.

UNC Chapel Hill did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of North Carolina at Charlotte is a great value for drama and theater arts students. Located in the large city of Charlotte, UNC Charlotte is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at UNC Charlotte are $7,188 a year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from UNC Charlotte carry an average student debtload of $26,000.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, UNC Charlotte also is in the top 15% of our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking.

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University of North Carolina at Greensboro came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the large city of Greensboro, UNC Greensboro is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNC Greensboro are $7,468 per year. Theater majors at UNC Greensboro take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

UNC Greensboro excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

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Appalachian State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Appalachian State is a very large public school located in the distant town of Boone.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Appalachian State are $7,410 a year. After completing their degree, theater graduates from Appalachian State carry an average student debtload of $25,083.

In addition to its great value ranking, Appalachian State is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

Read More…

University of North Carolina at Wilmington did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for drama and theater arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. UNCW is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Wilmington.

UNCW undergraduate students pay an average of $7,238 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, theater graduates from UNCW take out $24,750 in student loans while working on their degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, UNCW is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list.

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

#9

East Carolina University

Greenville, NC

East Carolina University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value drama and theater arts programs. ECU is a very large public school located in the small city of Greenville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ECU are $7,297 a year. Theater majors at ECU take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, ECU also did well on our Best Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at East Carolina University Report

$6,733 Average Tuition & Fees

North Carolina A & T State University ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the large city of Greensboro, NC A&T is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NC A&T are $6,733 per year.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at North Carolina A & T State University Report

Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

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

More Drama & Theater Arts Rankings in North Carolina

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 17 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.

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