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

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

9 Colleges
$37,940 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Doctor'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 Doctor's Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in California to see which doctor'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 Doctor’s Degree Schools in California

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

Top California Schools for a Doctorate in Visual & Performing Arts

Our 2023 rankings named University of California - Berkeley the best school in California for visual and performing arts students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the midsize city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

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The excellent doctor’s degree programs at University of California - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in California. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Los Angeles Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means University of California - Irvine is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their doctor’s degree. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a very large student population.

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Out of the 9 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Davis Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

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

University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #6 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Santa Barbara, UCSB is a public school with a very large student population.

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

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

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Riverside Report

University of California - San Diego came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. UCSD is a very large public school located in the city of La Jolla.

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University of California - Santa Cruz ranked #9 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Doctor’s Degree Schools in California list. UC Santa Cruz is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Cruz.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Santa Cruz Report

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

Explore all the Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges 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 9 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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