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Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

55 Colleges
$27,608 Avg Salary
$24,252 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 55 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region

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

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

Our analysis found The University of Texas at Austin to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Austin, UT Austin is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at UT Austin take out is $22,725. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $358, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Oklahoma State University - Main Campus is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the town of Stillwater, OSU is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at OSU take out is $22,250.

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#3

Rice University

Houston, TX

The excellent programs at Rice University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the large city of Houston, Rice is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

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#4

University of Tulsa

Tulsa, OK

The excellent programs at University of Tulsa helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the city of Tulsa, University of Tulsa is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Visual & Performing Arts majors at University of Tulsa take out an average of $25,000 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#5

Texas Christian University

Fort Worth, TX

The excellent programs at Texas Christian University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Southwest Region . TCU is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Fort Worth.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from TCU take out $21,500 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#6

Texas Tech University

Lubbock, TX

Texas Tech University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Lubbock, Texas Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, visual and performing arts graduates from Texas Tech carry an average student debtload of $26,361.

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Southern Methodist University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Dallas, SMU is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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Arizona State University - Skysong ranked #8 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Scottsdale, ASU - Skysong is a public school with a very large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from ASU - Skysong take out $23,686 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $287.

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With a ranking of #9, West Texas A&M University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the fringe town of Canyon, West Texas A&M University is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at West Texas A&M University take out is $21,825.

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#10

Scottsdale Community College

Scottsdale, AZ

Scottsdale Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Scottsdale Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Scottsdale.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Scottsdale Community College take out is $11,594.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Scottsdale Community College Report

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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 Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 2,294
Texas 7,696
New Mexico 493
Oklahoma 1,205

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 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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