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Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania

31 Colleges
$26,870 Avg Salary
$27,436 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Visual & Performing Arts School for You

Visual & Performing Arts is the #13 most popular major in Pennsylvania with 745 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

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

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 31 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones were the most popular programs 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 programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in Pennsylvania.

#1

Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA

Our analysis found Carnegie Mellon University to be the most popular school for visual and performing arts students who want to pursue a degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

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#2

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Temple University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Temple is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Temple University

#3

Drexel University

Philadelphia, PA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Drexel University is a great place for visual and performing arts students. Located in the city of Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Drexel University

#4

Messiah University

Mechanicsburg, PA

The excellent programs at Messiah University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best visual and performing arts schools in Pennsylvania. Messiah is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Mechanicsburg.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at Messiah University

#5

The University of the Arts

Philadelphia, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend The University of the Arts. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. UArts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Philadelphia.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at The University of the Arts Report

#6

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

University of Pennsylvania landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular visual and performing arts programs. UPenn is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Read full report on Visual & Performing Arts at University of Pennsylvania

#7

Duquesne University

Pittsburgh, PA

With a ranking of #7, Duquesne University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the large city of Pittsburgh, Duquesne is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Duquesne University Report

Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. PAFA is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Philadelphia.

Full Visual & Performing Arts at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts Report

University of Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh Campus ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in Pennsylvania list. Pitt is a very large public school located in the large city of Pittsburgh.

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With a ranking of #10, West Chester University of Pennsylvania did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for visual and performing arts students. Located in the suburb of West Chester, WCUPA is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read More…

Best Visual & Performing Arts Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Most Popular Visual & Performing Arts Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New York 3,135
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 27 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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