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Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

49 Colleges
$27,498 Avg Salary
$25,515 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

With 149,215 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, visual and performing arts is the #10 most popular major in the United States.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 49 schools in the Plains States Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region

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

Top 10 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools

Our analysis found Winona State University to be the best school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in the Plains States Region . Winona State is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Winona.

While working on their degree, visual and performing arts majors at Winona State accumulate an average of around $27,500 in student debt.

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Out of the 49 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the town of Kearney, UNK is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#3

Luther College

Decorah, IA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Luther College is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Luther is a small private not-for-profit school located in the remote town of Decorah.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Luther take out is $27,000.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Luther College Report

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend North Dakota State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the midsize city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at North Dakota State University take out is $24,833.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report

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#5

Drake University

Des Moines, IA

The excellent programs at Drake University helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in the Plains States Region . Located in the city of Des Moines, Drake is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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Concordia College at Moorhead landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Concordia College Moorhead is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize suburb of Moorhead.

The average amount in student loans that visual and performing arts majors at Concordia College Moorhead take out is $27,000.

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Washington University in St Louis did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Saint Louis, WUSTL is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from WUSTL take out $15,808 in student loans while working on their degree.

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#8

Truman State University

Kirksville, MO

Truman State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #8 on the list. Truman State is a small public school located in the town of Kirksville.

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#9

Hamline University

Saint Paul, MN

Hamline University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large city of Saint Paul, Hamline is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#10

University of Iowa

Iowa City, IA

University of Iowa did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for visual and performing arts students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, visual and performing arts graduates from Iowa take out $25,006 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $309.

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Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual and performing arts colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.

State Degrees Awarded
Kansas 920
Minnesota 1,711
Iowa 1,309
South Dakota 188
Missouri 1,911
Nebraska 727
North Dakota 160

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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