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Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

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2023 Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois

38 Colleges
$21,938 Avg Salary
$23,950 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 855 degrees and certificates were awarded to drama and theater arts students who went to a Illinois college or university. This makes it the #47 most popular major in the state.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in Illinois to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 38 schools in Illinois to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Drama & Theater Arts program at each school on the list.

Check out the theater bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Illinois.

Our 2023 rankings named Columbia College Chicago the most popular school in Illinois for drama and theater arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 148 students majoring in theater at Columbia, 31% are male and 69% are female.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, theater majors at Columbia accumulate an average of around $25,272 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $613, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report

#2

Northwestern University

Evanston, IL

Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, Northwestern University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Northwestern is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Evanston.

Women make up 67% of the theater majors at the school.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Northwestern University Report

#3

DePaul University

Chicago, IL

Out of the 38 schools in Illinois that were part of this year’s ranking, DePaul University landed the # 3 spot on the list. DePaul is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

About 58% of the students majoring in theater at the school are women while 42% are male.

When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $513.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at DePaul University Report

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Illinois State University is a great place for drama and theater arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Normal, Illinois State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 71% of the theater majors at the school.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Illinois State University Report

#5

Millikin University

Decatur, IL

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at Millikin University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular drama and theater arts schools in Illinois. Millikin is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Decatur.

Women make up 71% of the theater majors at the school.

Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $430.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Millikin University Report

#6

Roosevelt University

Chicago, IL

Roosevelt University came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Roosevelt is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 48 students majoring in theater at Roosevelt, 46% are male and 54% are female.

The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $803, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at Roosevelt University Report

#7

North Central College

Naperville, IL

With a ranking of #7, North Central College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for drama and theater arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Naperville, North Central is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 77% of the students majoring in theater at the school are women while 23% are male.

The average amount in student loans that theater majors at North Central take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,085.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at North Central College Report

Northern Illinois University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Illinois ranking. Located in the suburb of Dekalb, NIU is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 51% of the theater majors at the school.

Read More…

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree drama and theater arts programs. UIUC is a very large public school located in the small city of Champaign.

Women make up 42% of the theater majors at the school.

Read More…

University of Illinois at Chicago landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree drama and theater arts programs. Located in the city of Chicago, UIC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 44% of the theater majors at the school.

Theater majors at UIC take out an average of $24,311 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Drama & Theater Arts at University of Illinois at Chicago Report

Best Drama & Theater Arts Colleges in the Great Lakes Region

Explore all the Most Popular Drama & Theater Arts Schools in the Great Lakes Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 364
Ohio 523
Indiana 315
Wisconsin 259

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 26 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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