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Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

12 Colleges
$24,917 Avg Salary
$27,513 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 1,179 degrees and certificates were awarded to general visual and performing arts students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #84 most popular major in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.

The Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 12 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

#1

Gnomon

Hollywood, CA

Our analysis found Gnomon to be the best school for general visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Gnomon is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Hollywood.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Otis College of Art and Design. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, Otis College of Art and Design is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $620.

Full General Visual & Performing Arts at Otis College of Art and Design Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Jose State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best General Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. San Jose State is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Jose.

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#4

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best general visual and performing arts schools in California. Located in the city of San Francisco, USFCA is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

Full General Visual & Performing Arts at University of San Francisco Report

#5

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

Out of the 12 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Academy of Art University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, Academy of Art University is a private for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

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With a ranking of #6, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on this year’s best schools for general visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Azusa Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Azusa.

When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $290.

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With a ranking of #7, University of California - San Diego did quite well on this year’s best schools for general visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of La Jolla, UCSD is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual arts majors at UCSD take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,029.

Full General Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - San Diego Report

University of Southern California landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree general visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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California State University - Channel Islands landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree general visual and performing arts programs. CSUCI is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Camarillo.

Read full report on General Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Channel Islands

California State University - San Marcos landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree general visual and performing arts programs. Located in the suburb of San Marcos, CSUSM is a public college with a large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual arts majors at CSUSM take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $17,599.

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Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best General Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 13
Oregon 66
Nevada 20

One of 10 majors within the area of study, general visual and performing arts has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Visual Arts

Related Major Annual Graduates
Fine & Studio Arts 37,413
Design & Applied Arts 36,301
Music 25,910
Drama & Theater Arts 17,341
Film, Video & Photographic Arts 16,778

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 12 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 Sven Mandel / CC-BY-SA-4.0.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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