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Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

84 Colleges
$32,741 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree School for You

Out of all the majors we analyze each year, visual and performing arts was ranked #11 in the country. In fact 18,379 degrees and certificates were handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Grad Degree Search has created the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 84 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which master's degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Colleges.

Top 15% Best Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named The Graduate Center, CUNY the best school in the Middle Atlantic Region for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. The Graduate Center is a medium-sized public school located in the large city of New York.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at The Graduate Center, CUNY

#2

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

Out of the 84 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Messiah University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Mechanicsburg.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sotheby’s Institute of Art - NY. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Sotheby's Institute of Art - NY is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of New York.

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Out of the 84 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Teachers College at Columbia University landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of New York, Teachers College is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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#5

American University

Washington, DC

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means American University is a great place for visual and performing arts students working on their master’s degree. The American University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Washington.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at American University Report

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute ranked #6 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit school with a medium-sized student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

#7

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Carnegie Mellon University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

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#8

New York University

New York, NY

New York University ranked #8 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. NYU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at New York University

West Chester University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the large suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at West Chester University of Pennsylvania Report

#10

Wagner College

Staten Island, NY

Wagner College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best master’s degree visual and performing arts programs. Located in the city of Staten Island, Wagner is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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#11

Goucher College

Baltimore, MD

Goucher College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Visual & Performing Arts Master’s Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Goucher is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Baltimore.

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University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus 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 #12 on the list. Pitt is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

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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 Visual & Performing Arts Master's Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
13 Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY
14 Towson University Towson, MD
15 Syracuse University Syracuse, NY
16 University of Delaware Newark, DE

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges by State

Explore the best visual and performing arts schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 3,135
Pennsylvania 745
Maryland 493
New Jersey 187
District of Columbia 192
Delaware 34

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

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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