2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 388 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best master's 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.
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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the visual and performing arts master's degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 25 Top Schools for a Master's in Visual & Performing Arts
Our analysis found Duke University to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a master’s degree in the United States. Duke is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Durham.
Out of the 388 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Notre Dame landed the # 2 spot on the list. Notre Dame is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Notre Dame.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Notre Dame
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Dartmouth College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Dartmouth is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Hanover.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend The Graduate Center, CUNY. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. The Graduate Center is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of New York.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY Report
Out of the 388 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Emory University landed the # 5 spot on the list. Emory is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Atlanta.
Messiah University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
Illinois Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Illinois Tech is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Sotheby’s Institute of Art - NY ranked #8 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Atlanta, Georgia Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Teachers College at Columbia University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Teachers College at Columbia University Report
With a ranking of #11, University of Nebraska at Kearney did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Nebraska at Kearney Report
Virginia Tech came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Blacksburg, Virginia Tech is a public school with a fairly large student population.
With a ranking of #13, Brandeis University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Brandeis is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Waltham.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Brandeis University
Kansas State University ranked #14 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. K -State is a very large public school located in the city of Manhattan.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Kansas State University
Sacred Heart University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Sacred Heart is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fairfield.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University
Michigan State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the small city of East Lansing, Michigan State is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Michigan State University
With a ranking of #17, American Film Institute Conservatory did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, American Film Institute is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American Film Institute Conservatory
North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a large student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report
Eastern Illinois University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. EIU is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Charleston.
University of Nebraska - Lincoln landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large city of Lincoln, UNL is a public school with a very large student population.
Williams College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #21 on the list. Located in the town of Williamstown, Williams is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Williams College
Sam Houston State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. SHSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Huntsville.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Sam Houston State University
With a ranking of #23, American University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. The American University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American University
University of California - Berkeley did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for visual and performing arts students to get a master’s degree. It came in at #24 on the list. UC Berkeley is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Berkeley.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of California - Berkeley Report
Texas A&M University - Kingsville came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Kingsville, Texas A&M Kingsville is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Rest of the Top Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 388 different United States visual and performing arts schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | University of Wisconsin - Stout | Menomonie, WI |
| 52 | Columbia University in the City of New York | New York, NY |
| 53 | Texas Woman’s University | Denton, TX |
| 54 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 55 | University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI |
| 56 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 57 | University of South Dakota | Vermillion, SD |
| 58 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
Honorable Mentions
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 59 | University of California - San Diego | La Jolla, CA |
| 60 | Boston University | Boston, MA |
| 61 | University of North Carolina School of the Arts | Winston-Salem, NC |
| 62 | University of California - Davis | Davis, CA |
| 63 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 64 | Auburn University | Auburn, AL |
| 65 | Syracuse University | Syracuse, NY |
| 66 | Ohio State University - Main Campus | Columbus, OH |
| 67 | The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX |
| 68 | The University of Montana | Missoula, MT |
| 69 | University of California - Irvine | Irvine, CA |
| 70 | The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX |
| 71 | Iowa State University | Ames, IA |
| 72 | Tufts University | Medford, MA |
| 73 | College for Creative Studies | Detroit, MI |
| 74 | University of Iowa | Iowa City, IA |
| 75 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 76 | University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT |
| 77 | University of Kentucky | Lexington, KY |
Visual & Performing Arts by Region
View the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's 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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