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Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

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2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools

1,443 Colleges
$26,022 Avg Salary
$26,083 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor'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.

The Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 1,443 schools in the United States to see which bachelor's degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Visual & Performing Arts program at each school on the list.

Check out the visual and performing arts bachelor's degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Full Sail University

Winter Park, FL

Our analysis found Full Sail University to be the most popular school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the United States. Located in the large suburb of Winter Park, Full Sail University is a private for-profit school with a very large student population.

Women make up 36% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Read More…

Out of the 1,443 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Savannah College of Art and Design landed the # 2 spot on the list. SCAD is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Savannah.

Of the 1,391 students majoring in visual and performing arts at SCAD, 30% are male and 70% are female.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Savannah College of Art and Design

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Central Florida. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Orlando, UCF is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 59% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at University of Central Florida Report

#4

New York University

New York, NY

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at New York University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular visual and performing arts schools in the United States. NYU is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Women make up 61% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at New York University Report

Out of the 1,443 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Long Beach landed the # 5 spot on the list. CSULB is a very large public school located in the city of Long Beach.

Women make up 62% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Long Beach Report

Columbia College Chicago came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Columbia is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Chicago.

Of the 837 students majoring in visual and performing arts at Columbia, 40% are male and 60% are female.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Columbia College Chicago Report

#7

The New School

New York, NY

With a ranking of #7, The New School did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. New School University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Of the 834 students majoring in visual and performing arts at New School University, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at The New School Report

With a ranking of #8, Berklee College of Music did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Berklee College of Music is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Boston.

Of the 793 students majoring in visual and performing arts at Berklee College of Music, 51% are male and 49% are female.

Read More…

Fashion Institute of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of New York, FIT SUNY is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

About 84% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 16% are male.

Read More…

Arizona State University - Tempe did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. ASU - Tempe is a very large public school located in the midsize city of Tempe.

Women make up 66% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Arizona State University - Tempe

#11

Belmont University

Nashville, TN

Belmont University landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Belmont is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

Women make up 68% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Belmont University Report

University of North Texas did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Denton, UNT is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 638 students majoring in visual and performing arts at UNT, 36% are male and 64% are female.

Read More…

#13

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco State University landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 53% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at San Francisco State University

University of Southern California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

About 54% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 46% are male.

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

California State University - Fullerton ranked #15 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Cal State Fullerton is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Fullerton.

Women make up 63% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Read More…

With a ranking of #16, Virginia Commonwealth University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Richmond, VCU is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 580 students majoring in visual and performing arts at VCU, 29% are male and 71% are female.

Read More…

With a ranking of #17, School of the Art Institute of Chicago did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students working on their bachelor’s degree. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Chicago.

Of the 576 students majoring in visual and performing arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago, 25% are male and 75% are female.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

#18

Pratt Institute - Main

Brooklyn, NY

Pratt Institute - Main came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Brooklyn, Pratt Institute is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 72% of the visual and performing arts majors at the school.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Pratt Institute - Main Report

Southern New Hampshire University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Manchester, SNHU is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.

Of the 501 students majoring in visual and performing arts at SNHU, 34% are male and 66% are female.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Southern New Hampshire University

#20

Texas State University

San Marcos, TX

Texas State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the city of San Marcos, Texas State is a public college with a very large student population.

About 67% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 33% are male.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Texas State University

#21

Los Angeles Film School

Hollywood, CA

Los Angeles Film School came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Hollywood, LA Film School is a private for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 32% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 68% are male.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Los Angeles Film School Report

#22

Emerson College

Boston, MA

Emerson College came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Boston, Emerson is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

About 49% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 51% are male.

Read More…

University of California - Santa Cruz did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for visual and performing arts students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #22 on the list. Located in the city of Santa Cruz, UC Santa Cruz is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 51% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 49% are male.

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

Middle Tennessee State University came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools ranking. Middle Tennessee State University is a fairly large public school located in the city of Murfreesboro.

About 52% of the students majoring in visual and performing arts at the school are women while 48% are male.

Read More…

California State University - Northridge ranked #25 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Northridge, CSUN is a public school with a very large student population.

Of the 471 students majoring in visual and performing arts at CSUN, 44% are male and 56% are female.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at California State University - Northridge

#27

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA
#28

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA
#30

Georgia State University

Atlanta, GA
#33

Purchase College

Purchase, NY
#34

DePaul University

Chicago, IL
#37

Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL
#39

School of Visual Arts

New York, NY
#41

University of Utah

Salt Lake City, UT
#43

University of Oregon

Eugene, OR
#45

Pace University - New York

New York, NY
#48

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA
#49

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA
#50

Montclair State University

Montclair, NJ

Additional Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 1443 different United States visual and performing arts schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 University of Florida Gainesville, FL
52 The University of the Arts Philadelphia, PA
53 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities Minneapolis, MN
54 Maryland Institute College of Art Baltimore, MD
55 Art Center College of Design Pasadena, CA
56 Liberty University Lynchburg, VA
57 University of Houston Houston, TX
58 University of California - Riverside Riverside, CA
59 Chapman University Orange, CA
60 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI
60 University of North Carolina at Greensboro Greensboro, NC
60 University of Nevada - Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV
63 University of Washington - Seattle Campus Seattle, WA
64 University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus Denver, CO
65 Appalachian State University Boone, NC
66 Ohio State University - Main Campus Columbus, OH
67 University of Iowa Iowa City, IA
68 California State University - Chico Chico, CA
69 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
70 California State University - Sacramento Sacramento, CA
71 Academy of Art University San Francisco, CA
72 Iowa State University Ames, IA
73 University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO
74 Portland State University Portland, OR
74 University of Arizona Tucson, AZ
74 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA
77 University of South Carolina - Columbia Columbia, SC
78 Illinois State University Normal, IL
79 University of California - Berkeley Berkeley, CA
79 George Mason University Fairfax, VA
79 The University of Texas at Arlington Arlington, TX
82 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY
83 Rochester Institute of Technology Rochester, NY
84 Queens College Queens, NY
85 Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, MI
86 University of Georgia Athens, GA
87 Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA
88 California State University - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
89 University of Kansas Lawrence, KS
90 The City College of New York New York, NY
91 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL
92 Marymount Manhattan College New York, NY
93 Grand Canyon University Phoenix, AZ
94 Utah Valley University Orem, UT
94 Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ
96 University of California - San Diego La Jolla, CA
97 Western Washington University Bellingham, WA
98 Brooklyn College Brooklyn, NY
99 Brigham Young University - Idaho Rexburg, ID
100 Towson University Towson, MD
101 New York Film Academy Burbank, CA
102 Michigan State University East Lansing, MI
103 Hunter College New York, NY
104 University of Miami Coral Gables, FL
104 American Musical and Dramatic Academy New York, NY
104 The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa, AL
107 University of South Florida - Main Campus Tampa, FL
108 The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley Edinburg, TX
109 Bowling Green State University - Main Campus Bowling Green, OH
110 Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI
111 Stephen F Austin State University Nacogdoches, TX
112 Northwestern University Evanston, IL
112 Ohio University - Athens Campus Athens, OH
114 West Virginia University Morgantown, WV
115 University at Buffalo Buffalo, NY
115 Texas Tech University Lubbock, TX
117 University of Hartford West Hartford, CT
118 California State Polytechnic University - Pomona Pomona, CA
119 Ball State University Muncie, IN
120 University of New Mexico - Main Campus Albuquerque, NM
121 University of Oklahoma Norman Campus Norman, OK
122 Boston University Boston, MA
122 Otis College of Art and Design Los Angeles, CA
122 Ringling College of Art and Design Sarasota, FL
125 Florida International University Miami, FL
126 Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ
127 SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY
128 College for Creative Studies Detroit, MI
129 Missouri State University - Springfield Springfield, MO
130 Kutztown University of Pennsylvania Kutztown, PA
130 University of North Carolina School of the Arts Winston-Salem, NC
132 SUNY New Paltz New Paltz, NY
133 University of Kentucky Lexington, KY
133 Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI
135 University of Arkansas Fayetteville, AR
136 Columbus College of Art and Design Columbus, OH
137 East Carolina University Greenville, NC
138 University of Wisconsin - Stout Menomonie, WI
139 Miami University - Oxford Oxford, OH
139 SUNY Fredonia Fredonia, NY
139 Fordham University Bronx, NY
139 Baylor University Waco, TX
143 Oklahoma City University Oklahoma City, OK
143 Arizona State University - Skysong Scottsdale, AZ
145 University of Maryland - College Park College Park, MD
145 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA
145 Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Baton Rouge, LA
145 Auburn University Auburn, AL
145 Oregon State University Corvallis, OR
145 Oberlin College Oberlin, OH
151 Eastern Michigan University Ypsilanti, MI
152 Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Main Campus Indiana, PA
152 University of Wisconsin - Madison Madison, WI
154 Webster University Saint Louis, MO
155 Sam Houston State University Huntsville, TX
155 Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
157 University of North Carolina at Wilmington Wilmington, NC
158 New York City College of Technology Brooklyn, NY
159 University of Rochester Rochester, NY
159 Kennesaw State University Kennesaw, GA
159 Point Park University Pittsburgh, PA
162 Colorado State University - Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO
162 Loyola University New Orleans New Orleans, LA
164 University of Illinois at Chicago Chicago, IL
165 College of Charleston Charleston, SC
166 Ferris State University Big Rapids, MI
167 Columbia College Hollywood Tarzana, CA
167 University of Memphis Memphis, TN
169 University of Central Arkansas Conway, AR
169 Clemson University Clemson, SC
169 California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA
172 University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO
172 Oakland University Rochester Hills, MI
174 Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY
174 California State University - East Bay Hayward, CA
174 California State University - Fresno Fresno, CA
177 University of North Carolina at Charlotte Charlotte, NC
178 Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Milwaukee, WI
178 California Institute of the Arts Valencia, CA
178 Northern Illinois University Dekalb, IL
181 University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, MS
182 SUNY Oswego Oswego, NY
182 Boise State University Boise, ID
182 University of Nebraska - Lincoln Lincoln, NE
185 Metropolitan State University of Denver Denver, CO
185 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point Stevens Point, WI
185 Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis Indianapolis, IN
188 Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA
188 Washington University in St Louis Saint Louis, MO
188 Wayne State University Detroit, MI
191 Muhlenberg College Allentown, PA
192 Cleveland State University Cleveland, OH
192 University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN
192 Southern Oregon University Ashland, OR
192 California State University - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
196 Lesley University Cambridge, MA
196 Western Carolina University Cullowhee, NC
198 Purdue University - Main Campus West Lafayette, IN
198 Baldwin Wallace University Berea, OH
200 Humboldt State University Arcata, CA
200 Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design Lakewood, CO
200 Wichita State University Wichita, KS
200 Bard College Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
204 University of Maryland - Baltimore County Baltimore, MD
204 Cornish College of the Arts Seattle, WA
204 Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant, MI
207 Northeastern University Boston, MA
207 Kansas City Art Institute Kansas City, MO
209 Binghamton University Vestal, NY
209 Texas Christian University Fort Worth, TX
211 Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX
211 Central Washington University Ellensburg, WA
213 Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
214 University of Central Oklahoma Edmond, OK
214 West Chester University of Pennsylvania West Chester, PA
214 Radford University Radford, VA
214 Champlain College Burlington, VT

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional popular schools for Visual & Performing Arts students that almost earned our Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor's Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
218 The University of Montana Missoula, MT
218 University of Northern Iowa Cedar Falls, IA
218 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
221 Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ
221 The University of Texas at El Paso El Paso, TX
223 University of Missouri - Columbia Columbia, MO
224 Laguna College of Art and Design Laguna Beach, CA
225 University of Louisiana at Lafayette Lafayette, LA
226 Oklahoma State University - Main Campus Stillwater, OK
226 Elon University Elon, NC
228 University of Massachusetts Amherst Amherst, MA
228 Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY
228 The Juilliard School New York, NY
231 The University of Tennessee - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
231 Cleveland Institute of Art Cleveland, OH
233 University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA
234 University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
234 Biola University La Mirada, CA
234 Kean University Union, NJ
237 California Baptist University Riverside, CA
237 St Olaf College Northfield, MN
239 Montana State University Bozeman, MT
239 Utah State University Logan, UT
239 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
242 University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Whitewater, WI
242 Wesleyan University Middletown, CT
242 Georgia Southern University Statesboro, GA
242 University of Rhode Island Kingston, RI
246 Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA
246 University of Missouri - Kansas City Kansas City, MO
246 Millikin University Decatur, IL
249 The University of Tampa Tampa, FL
249 University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Eau Claire, WI
249 University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
249 Manhattan School of Music New York, NY
253 University of North Carolina at Asheville Asheville, NC
253 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC
255 Fitchburg State University Fitchburg, MA
256 University of Hawaii at Manoa Honolulu, HI
256 Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Edinboro, PA
256 North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC
259 Coastal Carolina University Conway, SC
259 Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA
261 The University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TX
261 William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ
263 Millersville University of Pennsylvania Millersville, PA
264 Purdue University Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, IN
265 Tufts University Medford, MA
265 Rhode Island College Providence, RI
265 Kansas State University Manhattan, KS
265 Hofstra University Hempstead, NY
269 University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth North Dartmouth, MA
269 Minneapolis College of Art and Design Minneapolis, MN
269 SUNY Potsdam Potsdam, NY
272 Winthrop University Rock Hill, SC
272 Western Connecticut State University Danbury, CT
272 East Tennessee State University Johnson City, TN
272 Weber State University Ogden, UT
272 University of Vermont Burlington, VT
277 Bennington College Bennington, VT
277 The New England Conservatory of Music Boston, MA
279 University of Akron Main Campus Akron, OH
280 University of Louisville Louisville, KY
280 University of Massachusetts - Lowell Lowell, MA
280 University of Denver Denver, CO
283 Emory University Atlanta, GA
283 University of Connecticut Storrs, CT
285 Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Madison, NJ
285 The College of New Jersey Ewing, NJ
285 AI Miami International University of Art and Design Miami, FL
285 University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
285 Texas Woman’s University Denton, TX

Visual & Performing Arts by Region

View the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Bachelor'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

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.

  • 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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