2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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 Value Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 388 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best value experiences for visual and performing arts students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for a Master's in Visual & Performing Arts
Our 2023 rankings named Columbia College Chicago the best value school in the United States for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Columbia is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Columbia are $2,350 per year.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Texas A&M University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. West Texas A&M University is a moderately-sized public school located in the fringe town of Canyon.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at West Texas A&M University are $8,574 per year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Messiah University is a great value for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Messiah are $13,050 a year.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University Report
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Out of the 388 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the city of San Juan, UPR Rio Piedras is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at UPR Rio Piedras are $3,990 a year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Truman State University is a great value for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Truman State is a small public school located in the remote town of Kirksville.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Truman State are $9,924 a year.
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Goucher College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Baltimore.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Goucher are $9,765 a year.
Goucher excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list.
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North Dakota State University - Main Campus came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Fargo, North Dakota State University is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at North Dakota State University are $12,028 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Dakota State University also is in the top 20% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at North Dakota State University - Main Campus Report
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Youngstown State University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Youngstown State University is a large public school located in the city of Youngstown.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Youngstown State University are $6,931 per year.
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With a ranking of #9, Hood College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the city of Frederick, Hood is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Hood are $9,080 per year.
Hood excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list.
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Brigham Young University - Provo ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. BYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Provo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at BYU are $7,700 per year.
BYU also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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University of Nebraska at Kearney landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the distant town of Kearney, UNK is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at UNK are $14,982 per year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, UNK also did well on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Lindenwood University ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Lindenwood University is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Saint Charles.
Lindenwood University graduate students pay an average of $9,784 in tuition and fees each year.
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Minnesota State University - Mankato came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Minnesota State Mankato is a fairly large public school located in the city of Mankato.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Minnesota State Mankato are $9,308 a year.
Minnesota State Mankato also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.
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Ferris State University landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the distant town of Big Rapids, Ferris is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Ferris graduate students pay an average of $8,232 in tuition and fees each year.
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Atlantic University College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Guaynabo, Atlantic University College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Atlantic University College are $4,605 per year.
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Texas A&M University - Kingsville 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 town of Kingsville, Texas A&M Kingsville is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Texas A&M Kingsville are $14,344 a year.
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Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at MSMU are $13,099 a year.
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Stephens College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Stephens is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Columbia.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Stephens are $9,230 a year.
Stephens also claimed a spot on our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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University of South Dakota came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Vermillion, USD is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at USD are $12,768 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, USD also is in the top 20% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of South Dakota Report
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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large suburb of Edwardsville, SIUE is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at SIUE are $9,316 per year.
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Sam Houston State University ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. SHSU is a fairly large public school located in the town of Huntsville.
SHSU graduate students pay an average of $16,009 in tuition and fees each year.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Sam Houston State University Report
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Texas A&M University - Commerce landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the distant town of Commerce, Texas A&M Commerce is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at Texas A&M Commerce are $14,682 per year.
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With a ranking of #22, York College of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s best value schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. YCP is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized suburb of York.
Out-of-state tuition fees for graduate students at YCP are $11,646 per year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, YCP also is in the top 15% of our Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at York College of Pennsylvania Report
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National University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
National University graduate students pay an average of $15,480 in tuition and fees each year.
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Liberty University landed the #25 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the small city of Lynchburg, Liberty University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state graduate students at Liberty University are $8,360 a year.
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Request InformationRest of the Top Best Value Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools
Additional Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the schools awarded a Best Value 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 | Mississippi College | Clinton, MS |
| 52 | Valparaiso University | Valparaiso, IN |
| 53 | University of Wyoming | Laramie, WY |
| 54 | Arizona State University - Skysong | Scottsdale, AZ |
| 55 | San Jose State University | San Jose, CA |
| 56 | University of Delaware | Newark, DE |
| 57 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus | Madison, NJ |
| 58 | Regent University | Virginia Beach, VA |
| 58 | Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX |
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 Value Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 60 | Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX |
| 60 | Millersville University of Pennsylvania | Millersville, PA |
| 62 | University of Nebraska at Omaha | Omaha, NE |
| 63 | The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga | Chattanooga, TN |
| 64 | Illinois Institute of Technology | Chicago, IL |
| 65 | Eastern Kentucky University | Richmond, KY |
| 66 | Towson University | Towson, MD |
| 67 | Webster University | Saint Louis, MO |
| 68 | University of Akron Main Campus | Akron, OH |
| 69 | Loyola Marymount University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 70 | Edinboro University of Pennsylvania | Edinboro, PA |
| 71 | Oklahoma City University | Oklahoma City, OK |
| 72 | University of Northern Iowa | Cedar Falls, IA |
| 73 | Rowan University | Glassboro, NJ |
| 74 | Wagner College | Staten Island, NY |
| 75 | Lee University | Cleveland, TN |
| 76 | Universidad del Turabo | Gurabo, PR |
| 77 | Kutztown University of Pennsylvania | Kutztown, PA |
Visual & Performing Arts by Region
View the Best Value 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
Majors Related to Visual & Performing Arts
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.
- 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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