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

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

51 Colleges
$26,022 Avg Salary
$26,083 Avg Student Debt

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

Visual & Performing Arts is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 22,397 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, it ranked 10th out of all the majors we track in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 51 schools in California to see which bachelor's degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for visual and performing arts majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

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

Our analysis found California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public school with a very large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Berkeley

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of Southern California is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. USC is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Southern California Report

#4

Loyola Marymount University

Los Angeles, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Loyola Marymount University. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Loyola Marymount is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Loyola Marymount University Report

#5

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Mount Saint Mary’s University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in California. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Mount Saint Mary’s University Report

San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at San Jose State University

University of California - Irvine came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public school with a very large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Irvine

#8

Chapman University

Orange, CA

Chapman University landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Chapman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Orange.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Chapman University Report

University of California - Santa Barbara came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public college with a very large student population.

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University of California - Davis came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Davis

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

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

State Degrees Awarded
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

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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