2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools
Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 18,379 people earned a degree or certificate in visual and performing arts, making the major the #11 most popular in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 388 schools in the United States to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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. Located in the city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Duke University
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means University of Notre Dame is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Notre Dame
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Dartmouth College is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Located in the town of Hanover, Dartmouth is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
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. Located in the city of New York, The Graduate Center is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Emory University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
Messiah University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg, Messiah is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University
Illinois Institute of Technology came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Chicago, Illinois Tech is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Illinois Institute of Technology
Sotheby’s Institute of Art - NY landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of New York, Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools list. Georgia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Atlanta.
With a ranking of #10, Teachers College at Columbia University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Teachers College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of New York.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Teachers College at Columbia University Report
University of Nebraska at Kearney 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 #11 on the list. UNK is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Kearney.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Nebraska at Kearney
With a ranking of #12, Virginia Tech did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Virginia Tech is a very large public school located in the city of Blacksburg.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Virginia Tech
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. Located in the city of Waltham, Brandeis is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
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. Located in the small city of Manhattan, K -State is a public school with a fairly large student population.
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. Located in the large suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Sacred Heart University Report
With a ranking of #16, Michigan State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Michigan State is a very large public school located in the city of East Lansing.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Michigan State University Report
American Film Institute Conservatory 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 #17 on the list. American Film Institute is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American Film Institute Conservatory
With a ranking of #18, North Dakota State University - Main Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. North Dakota State University is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Fargo.
Eastern Illinois University landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the town of Charleston, EIU is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Full Visual & Performing Arts at Eastern Illinois University Report
University of Nebraska - Lincoln 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 #20 on the list. UNL is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Lincoln.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Nebraska - Lincoln
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. Williams is a small private not-for-profit school located in the fringe town of Williamstown.
Sam Houston State University landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the town of Huntsville, SHSU is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Sam Houston State University
American University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at American University
University of California - Berkeley came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools ranking. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public college with a very large student population.
With a ranking of #25, Texas A&M University - Kingsville did quite well on this year’s best schools for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. Texas A&M Kingsville is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Kingsville.
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
Remaining Award Winners
This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school 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 |
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Visual & Performing Arts students that almost earned our 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
Rankings in Majors Related to Visual & Performing Arts
Visual & Performing Arts Majors to Study
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Music | 7,675 |
| Fine & Studio Arts | 3,224 |
| Design & Applied Arts | 1,979 |
| Film, Video & Photographic Arts | 1,704 |
| Drama & Theater Arts | 1,699 |
| Arts & Media Management | 1,184 |
| General Visual & Performing Arts | 390 |
| Dance | 257 |
| Other Visual Art | 254 |
| Crafts, Folk Art & Artisanry | 13 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Theology & Religious Vocations | 17,287 |
| English Language & Literature | 9,566 |
| Foreign Languages & Linguistics | 4,163 |
| Philosophy & Religious Studies | 3,136 |
| Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities | 2,680 |
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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