{
  "major": "Theatre Arts",
  "slug": "theatre-arts",
  "field": "Arts & Design",
  "as_of": "2026",
  "url": "https://collegeranked.com/best-theatre-arts-schools/",
  "source": "U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2026 release); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics",
  "metric_definitions": {
    "median_earnings": "Median earnings one year after graduation (Scorecard)",
    "net_price": "Average annual cost of attendance after grant aid. For PUBLIC schools this reflects IN-STATE cost; out-of-state students pay more.",
    "roi_10yr_usd": "Ten years of earnings minus four years of net price",
    "public": "true = public university (net_price is in-state basis); false = private (residency-neutral)"
  },
  "total_colleges_with_reported_data": 267,
  "shown": 25,
  "ranking": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "school": "University of Notre Dame",
      "state": "IN",
      "median_earnings": 37531,
      "net_price": 26780,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 268190,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "school": "CUNY Hunter College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 25059,
      "net_price": 2984,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 238654,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "school": "Southern Utah University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 27335,
      "net_price": 10462,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 231502,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "school": "Utah Valley University",
      "state": "UT",
      "median_earnings": 23896,
      "net_price": 6376,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 213456,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "school": "CUNY Queens College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 11604,
      "net_price": 4195,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 99260,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "school": "CUNY Brooklyn College",
      "state": "NY",
      "median_earnings": 20645,
      "net_price": 3103,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 194038,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "school": "Portland State University",
      "state": "OR",
      "median_earnings": 25352,
      "net_price": 9552,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 215312,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 8,
      "school": "Saint Mary's College of California",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 38160,
      "net_price": 30378,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 260088,
      "public": false
    },
    {
      "rank": 9,
      "school": "Stephen F Austin State University",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 29945,
      "net_price": 14260,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 242410,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 10,
      "school": "California State University-Dominguez Hills",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 25920,
      "net_price": 8615,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 224740,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 11,
      "school": "Northern Arizona University",
      "state": "AZ",
      "median_earnings": 23043,
      "net_price": 14158,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 173798,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 12,
      "school": "University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus",
      "state": "CO",
      "median_earnings": 19966,
      "net_price": 11900,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 152060,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 13,
      "school": "California State University-Los Angeles",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 16645,
      "net_price": 3967,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 150582,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 14,
      "school": "Ohio University-Eastern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 15602,
      "net_price": 3925,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 140320,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 15,
      "school": "The University of Texas at Austin",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 33261,
      "net_price": 19857,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 253182,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 16,
      "school": "Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania",
      "state": "PA",
      "median_earnings": 33169,
      "net_price": 19608,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 253258,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 17,
      "school": "Rhode Island College",
      "state": "RI",
      "median_earnings": 24526,
      "net_price": 9478,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 207348,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 18,
      "school": "Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 15602,
      "net_price": 5755,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 133000,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 19,
      "school": "Ohio University-Lancaster Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 15602,
      "net_price": 5650,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 133420,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 20,
      "school": "Ohio University-Zanesville Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 15602,
      "net_price": 5746,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 133036,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 21,
      "school": "University of South Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 24732,
      "net_price": 9812,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 208072,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 22,
      "school": "California State University-Fullerton",
      "state": "CA",
      "median_earnings": 18182,
      "net_price": 6555,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 155600,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 23,
      "school": "The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley",
      "state": "TX",
      "median_earnings": 16706,
      "net_price": 4831,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 147736,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 24,
      "school": "University of Florida",
      "state": "FL",
      "median_earnings": 16318,
      "net_price": 6541,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 137016,
      "public": true
    },
    {
      "rank": 25,
      "school": "Ohio University-Southern Campus",
      "state": "OH",
      "median_earnings": 15602,
      "net_price": 5993,
      "roi_10yr_usd": 132048,
      "public": true
    }
  ]
}