2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 149,215 visual and performing arts students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.
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.
The Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 141 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the United States
The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 15% Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named KD Conservatory College of Film and Dramatic Arts the best school in the United States for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. KD Conservatory is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Dallas.
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Out of the 141 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, SAE Institute - Atlanta landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Atlanta, SAE Institute - Atlanta is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means SAE Institute - Nashville is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Nashville, SAE Institute - Nashville is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend John Tyler Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large suburb of Chester, John Tyler Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Madison Area Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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The Modern College of Design came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Kettering, The Modern College of Design is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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SAE Institute - Chicago did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large city of Chicago, SAE Institute - Chicago is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of New York, New York Conservatory for Dramatic Arts is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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American Musical and Dramatic Academy came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking. American Musical and Dramatic Academy is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
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With a ranking of #10, Alexandria Technical & Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. ATCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Alexandria.
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With a ranking of #11, University of South Dakota did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
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With a ranking of #12, Waukesha County Technical College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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The New School did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list. New School University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
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LaGuardia Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. LaGuardia is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Long Island City.
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With a ranking of #15, Arapahoe Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Arapahoe Community College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Littleton.
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Bismarck State College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. BSC is a small public school located in the small city of Bismarck.
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Scottsdale Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the rural area of Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
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Austin Community College District landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public school with a very large student population.
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Valencia College landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Orlando, Valencia College is a public college with a very large student population.
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Johnson County Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.
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Interior Designers Institute landed the #21 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. Interior Designers Institute is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of Newport Beach.
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Request InformationHonorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Visual & Performing Arts students that almost earned our Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | Academy of Art University | San Francisco, CA |
| 23 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 24 | Sessions College for Professional Design | Tempe, AZ |
| 25 | Macomb Community College | Warren, MI |
| 26 | FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 27 | Bay State College | Boston, MA |
| 28 | Western Technical College | La Crosse, WI |
Visual & Performing Arts by Region
View the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
|---|
| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Visual & Performing Arts Rankings
Visual & Performing Arts Related Rankings by Major
Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study
| 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 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 6,355 |
| Arts & Media Management | 4,788 |
| Dance | 3,288 |
| Other Visual Art | 912 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 119 |
| Community/Environmental/Socially-Engaged Art | 10 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 556,813 |
| English Language & Literature | 54,635 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 33,333 |
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 27,459 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 19,993 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 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 Bonnielou2013.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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