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Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

17 Colleges
$21,983 Avg Salary
$17,456 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 149,215 visual and performing arts students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #10 most popular in the country.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right for you. 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 in the Far Western US Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which associate 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 Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools

#1

Interior Designers Institute

Newport Beach, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Interior Designers Institute the best school in the Far Western US Region for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Newport Beach, Interior Designers Institute is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Interior Designers Institute Report

#2

Academy of Art University

San Francisco, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Academy of Art University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Academy of Art University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of San Francisco.

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The excellent associate degree programs at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Far Western US Region . FIDM Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles Report

#5

Platt College - San Diego

San Diego, CA

Out of the 17 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Platt College - San Diego landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Diego, Platt College - San Diego is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

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With a ranking of #6, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Los Angeles, American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American Academy of Dramatic Arts - Los Angeles

Columbia College Hollywood came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Columbia College Hollywood is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Tarzana.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Hollywood

#8

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV

College of Southern Nevada landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. CSN is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Las Vegas.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at College of Southern Nevada Report

Spokane Falls Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Spokane, Spokane Falls Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Spokane Falls Community College

Los Angeles Trade Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree visual and performing arts programs. Los Angeles Trade Technical College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
California 22,397
Washington 1,718
Oregon 1,672
Hawaii 196
Nevada 554
Alaska 60

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

Majors Similar to Visual & Performing Arts

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 17 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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