### SUMMARY

 Majoring in Drama is a valuable choice and usually a requisite first step for pupils aspiring to enter a career as a stage actor, a stage manager, or a dance therapist. Interestingly, drama is of average popularity ranking as the 50th most popular major. Last academic year, there were 9,323 drama graduates. In-state tuition for drama at private schools is, on average, 4.4 times more costly than their public equivalents.

 With an impressive 810 universities having programs for drama chances are that any schools you are considering will have an option for you. If you're hoping to surround yourself with other drama majors, consider schools in New York which have more undergrads admitted to drama than any other state. Zooming out, the best region to major in drama is in the Southeast region with [University of Central Florida](/colleges/university-of-central-florida), [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university), and [James Madison University](/colleges/james-madison-university) best representing the region. Interestingly, our pick of the top conference to study drama is the University Athletic Association with [Brandeis University](/colleges/brandeis-university), [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university), and [Carnegie Mellon University](/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university) representing the conference. Based on our comprehensive list on the [best colleges](/rankings/best-colleges), our choice for the best university for drama is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university).

 The overall best school does not have to be the 'best' school for you. There might be many more angels to think about when choosing college. Features such as campus amenities, transportation services, and food could alter your choice of where to go to university. At Authority, we weighed the pros and cons for you. If, for example, you want to know which drama college is home to the best campus, the answer is [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university). If, for example, you are very interested in which university has the finest campus, then we have an entire page [dedicated to that](/rankings/best-college-campuses). We have carefully pored through professor reviews, student reviews, government databases, and more to evaluate each major in an unbiased and informative way. You can explore our well researched list for the universities with the [best student life](/rankings/best-student-life)&nbsphere and from that list, our choice of the school with the best student life for drama is [Barnard College](/colleges/barnard-college). Curious why? Continue reading to learn more about our top selections. Many of our decisions just might shock you.

 If cost is a primary influence in your decision on where to go to university, you might be cautious about [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york). [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspappears to be our most expensive university for drama, at least regarding out of state students. We do have an entire page for the [most expensive](/rankings/most-expensive-colleges)&nbspuniversities that might put the expense of [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york)&nbspinto perspective. Additionally, you could be interested to know that drama is the 23rd most expensive program in the nation, with an average bill of $53,500. To zoom out a little, the most costly state for drama on our list is District of Columbia with costs at the main two schools American University and Georgetown University of $49,070 and $55,440 respectively. To zoom out even further, the most expensive region for drama is the New England region which is best demonstrated with [Wesleyan University](/colleges/wesleyan-university) with a cost of $56,704, [Boston College](/colleges/boston-college) with a cost of $56,780, and [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university) with a cost of $57,112.

 Our cheapest region for drama is the Rocky Mountains region which is represented by [Brigham Young University-Idaho](/colleges/brigham-young-university-idaho) with a cost of $4,208, [Brigham Young University-Provo](/colleges/brigham-young-university-provo) with a cost of $5,790, and [Weber State University](/colleges/weber-state-university) with a cost of $14,973. On the bright side, the most affordable school for drama is [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university). Authority's entire list of the most affordable schools can be found [here](/rankings/most-affordable-colleges).

 In-state attendees can anticipate paying in the neighborhood of $10,100 for a degree in drama. That cost balloons by a lot to an average of $23,700 for an out-of-state public-school student. On that note, our choice for the university constituting the best value for drama: [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). Here you can see our comprehensive list for the schools we believe to be the [best value](/rankings/best-value-colleges)&nbspin general. With that said, this discussion is based on the assumption that you are an out-of-state student. The value proposition changes when in-state tuition is considered, as such, we are using out-of-state tuition as the baseline.

 Earnings for drama majors can cover a wide range, but within two years graduation students will typically make in the neighborhood of $49,100. While there is a lot of variation in salary; highest paid earners can experience pay up to $102,500. Straight out of university, the lowest earning jobs within the drama field make $24,000, which isn't that bad. The top earning grads from drama have come from [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university)&nbspand if you want to find the colleges with all of the [highest earning graduates](/rankings/highest-earning-graduates), we have that too.

 The general diversity of drama is decent, coming in the 61st percentile of all programs. The school with the highest composite diversity for drama is [Carnegie Mellon University](/colleges/carnegie-mellon-university)&nbspand here you can find our comprehensive list for the colleges which have the [most diversity](/rankings/most-diverse-colleges). The financial diversity of the Drama major only is in the 31st percentile of all majors. Racial diversity is actually above financial diversity, in the 53rd percentile. White collegians compose the largest proportion at 61% of those majoring in drama. Additionally, 64% of scholars pursuing a drama degree are women.

 The median ranking of drama professors is 4.5 stars, a rating that is 13% higher than the average for all majors; which is a fairly good score. If you are curious about the most popular drama instructor in the nation, look no further than Bradetta Vines at [Bellevue College](/colleges/bellevue-college). It may be surprising, but the best ranked instructors for drama from student rankings are at [University of Arkansas](/colleges/university-of-arkansas). If we including data other than simply rankings it becomes clear that the school with the overall best professors for drama is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). One can find more detail on our ever evolving ranking methodology for the [best overall professors here](/rankings/best-professors), as well as many of the top professors in the country.

 Finally, the most difficult college to get into for drama is [Stanford University](/colleges/stanford-university). While we are unsure why you would be interested, we do have a general page for the [hardest colleges to get into](/rankings/hardest-colleges-to-get-into). That being said, we do hope you understand that looking at the higher education world with a lens primarily shaped by superlatives could cause issues. We encourage you to look at some of our other pages on individual universities and peruse a few of Authority's background 'blog posts' on beneficial things to consider as you continue your school search.



 ### POPULARITY

 Drama is the 50th most popular degree in America, with 9,323 students receiving their bachelors degree last year. It just beat out #51 [Spanish Language and Literature](/rankings/best-colleges-for-spanish-language-and-literature), and narrowly lost to #49 [Fine Art](/rankings/best-colleges-for-fine-art).

 The degree is offered at a total of 810 colleges across the nation, and is the 24th most widely offered degree. Given that drama is offered at 79% of the Top 100 [Best Colleges](/rankings/best-colleges) in America, you can be sure this is a critical degree and the skillsets acquired are likely to last for a long time.

 It is also worth noting that 53% of colleges offering drama are public making it a pretty accessible field.

 The southeast produces the most drama graduates, largely led by [University of Central Florida](/colleges/university-of-central-florida), while it’s the University Athletic Association that leads conference totals. As far as states, New York ranks highest, with particular help from [New York University](/colleges/new-york-university) and [State University of New York at New Paltz](/colleges/state-university-of-new-york-at-new-paltz).

 All that being said, no individual school produces more drama graduates than [Cochise County Community College District](/colleges/cochise-county-community-college-district), which graduated 373 students last year alone. Although size is critical, another important factor to consider is the program’s density (the percent of all students that study drama). More students studied drama as a percentage of total students at [Cornish College of the Arts](/colleges/cornish-college-of-the-arts) than any other college.



 ### COST

 Drama is the 23rd most expensive major in the nation, with a median cost of $53,468 for the top 50 programs (just ahead of #24, [Classics and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics](rankings/best-colleges-for-classics-and-classical-languages-literatures-and-linguistics), with a median cost of $53,400).

 New England has the most expensive colleges with top drama programs led by [Wesleyan University](/colleges/wesleyan-university) with an annual cost of $56,704. The most expensive state for drama is District of Columbia led by [American University](/colleges/american-university) and [Georgetown University](/colleges/georgetown-university).

 Public schools with good programs typically charge 77.19% less than private schools for in-state students. However, when looking at out-of-state tuition, the median top 50 Public school charges 46.28% less than your average private school. So make sure to look into public shools in your state as soon as possible.

 The most expensive top 25 college for drama is [Columbia University in the City of New York](/colleges/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york), which is the 3rd most expensive college in the United States. The most affordable option in the top 100 is [Florida State University](/colleges/florida-state-university). It costs just $16,540 per year, and it is its drama program is ranked #21. Another more affordable choice would be #13, [The University of Texas at Austin](/colleges/the-university-of-texas-at-austin) in Travis County, TX with a cost of $10,824 for in-state students and $38,326 for out-of-state students.



### SALARY

 College is a massive investment for most people. It's critical to have confidence you increase your earning potential. We aim for the following income and career insights to guide you in making a well informed decision when selecting your major.

 The average Drama graduate generates a first year income of $23,577 per annum (bottom 3%). Later on in their occupations, they generally bring home something between $24,008 and $102,481, but average near $49,090. To put it in context, that's 27% above the nation wide average.

 The most common job title for a Drama graduate is Account Executive, which for the most part earn around $36,000; next are Consultant and Marketing Internship, which commonly make roughly $56,000 and $24,000 respectively.

 The highest earning region for Drama graduates is New England. The highest grossing state for Drama alumni is WI. The most well paid conference for Drama graduates is Atlantic Coast Conference.



### PROFESSORS

 Fast Facts for Drama: Median Professor Rating: 4.5 / 5, which is Top 50.

 Instructors always play a great role in your college experience, no matter what you major in. A thought-provoking instructor may provide inspiration and even make a difficult subject seem easy. Conversely, a poor professor can disenchant you from a subject or even worse... fail you!

 Drama professors boast a median student rating of 4.5 / 5, putting them in 31st place in the United States based on overall professor quality. For context a 4.5 rating is 12.5% north of the national median professor rating for all subjects. Drama professors barely out-ranked those from ["Women's Studies"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-women-s-studies), whereas ["Audiology"](/rankings/best-colleges-for-audiology)&nbspprofessors ranked one slot above Drama.

 Now for some statistics about Drama professors. Colleges located in distant towns tend to have the best Drama professors. The Pacific-12 Conference has the highest rated Drama professors. The Southeast region has the highest rated Drama professors. Private universities tend to have higher rated Drama professors than public universities. Finally, Kentucky has the highest rated Drama professors in the United States.

 Bradetta Vines, professor at [Bellevue College](/colleges/bellevue-college)&nbspin Bellevue, WA is the most popular Drama professor in the nation. Michael Flanagan, professor at [Houston Community College](/colleges/houston-community-college)&nbspin Houston, TX is the highest rated Drama professor in the US, with a rating of 5 / 5.

 Learn which institutions have the [Best Professors](/rankings/best-professors)!



### STUDENTS

 College is an extremely impactful time in one's life; it is an occasion for individual progress and evolution. Students continue to realize their values and forge the rudimentary skills to be a flourishing adult. But growth goes beyond a classroom environment - the late nights discussing Marx with a classmate, the nugget of wisdom gained from an old professor, the exposure to a different worldview. Therefore, a diverse student population vastly enhances what you gain from your time spent at university.

 Drama is a slightly more ethnically diverse major than average\*. 61% of the United States' Drama majors are white students, followed by latino students (15%), students of other races\*\*(12%), and black students (7%). The most racially diverse college\* in the top 100 is [Brown University](/colleges/brown-university)&nbspin Providence, RI.

 In addition, Drama significatly skews female, with 64% of students majoring in Drama identifying as women. [Colby College](/colleges/colby-college) in Waterville, ME has the most gender balanced student body in the top 100.

 Another substantial type of diversity is class diversity. Sadly, Drama is less socioeconomically diverse than 69% of programs in the US. 31% of its majors come from very high income families, 16% are from households earning between $48,000 and $75,000 a year, and 25% grew up in families with a sub $30,000 annual income. [University of North Carolina School of the Arts](/colleges/university-of-north-carolina-school-of-the-arts) is the most economically diverse school in the top 100.

 Considering each type of diversity, overall KY is the most diverse state for Drama. The Far West is the most diverse region, and the California Collegiate Athletic Association is the most diverse conference.

   \* diversity calculations and comparisons are based on [Simpson's Diversity Index](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diversity_index)   
  \*\* other races is used to refer to non asian, black, latino, or white

  #### Diversity Statistics

  ##### Racial Diversity

 * Asian: 4%
* Black: 7%
* Latino: 15%
* White: 61%
* Other: 12%
  ##### Gender Diversity

 * Male: 36%
* Female: 64%
  ##### Socioeconomic Diversity (By Household Income)

 * Under 30k: 25%
* 30k - 48k: 15%
* 48k - 75k: 16%
* 75k - 110k: 14%
* Over 110k: 31%
  ##### Geographic Diversity

 * In State: 63%
* Out of State: 28%
* International: 9%


2023 Drama Salary

There are about 33,239 students enrolled in Drama in the USA.

SALARY