The List of All U.S Colleges With a Theater/Drama Major
Theater programs provide students with the foundational skills they need to pursue careers in acting, directing, stage management, and more. Additionally, they introduce young thespians to the history of theater and dramatic literature, allowing them to get their hands dirty building sets, making costumes, and directing their fellow actors on the stage.
If you’re passionate about entertaining the masses, majoring in theater/drama might be the ticket to your dream career. And luckily there are numerous schools throughout the U.S. that boast exceptional programs in this field. Keep reading to learn how majoring in theater can benefit you in a wide range of career paths, along with tips on getting into the program of your dreams.
Why Should You Major in Theater/Drama in College?
As college majors go, drama represents a noble path. Over the years, theater has served a vital function in society, entertaining people in times of joy and lifting their spirits during periods of strife. Not only does theater have the ability to educate and inform, but it also brings people together, creating a sense of community even in the most divisive circumstances.
If you’re thinking of majoring in theater, then odds are that at one point or another you’ve received some negative feedback about its practicality from well-meaning family and friends. However, the truth is that majoring in drama can set you up for a bright future in multiple industries. As a theater major, you’ll hone your skills in project management as you direct and supervise your colleagues. Moreover, you’ll learn how to coordinate and collaborate with a wide range of people from different walks of life. After all, even when personalities clash, the show must go on.
So what jobs do theater/drama majors pursue? Along with the obvious choices of actor, dancer, theater director, and costume designer, graduates can find work as community arts workers, elementary and secondary education teachers, and music therapists. Additionally, a theater degree can be useful for careers in arts administration, broadcast journalism, and screenwriting.
How Can You Boost Your Odds of Getting Accepted Into a Theater/Drama Program?
There are a number of steps high schoolers can take to increase their odds of getting into a college drama program. Along with signing up for your school’s acting and theater courses, consider taking literature electives to increase your knowledge of story and character development. Additionally, students can opt to participate in school plays as actors or stage managers. Not only does this experience provide students with valuable insight into what life is like for theater majors, but it also enables them to show off their passion to admissions committees.
Aspiring theater students can also embark on a path of independent study, reading up on the acting techniques developed by industry greats like Stanislavski, Chekhov, and Strasberg and participating in private instruction. For example, many communities offer classes and workshops designed to help amateur actors hone their craft. Seeing professional plays and musicals also helps students expand their knowledge base.
Understanding that competition is fierce at top theater and drama programs, many students seek expert advice in optimizing their applicant profiles. CollegeVine’s Early Advising Program exists to support freshmen and sophomores whose high schools might not provide them with the personalized advice they need to achieve their long-term goals. To that end, we pair every student with a mentor who went to a top 30 college or university. Boasting specialized training and access to CollegeVine’s unique tools and technology, our mentors assist students every step of the way. From offering tips on class selection to helping students choose hobbies and extracurricular activities, we’re there to support students throughout their academic journeys.
What Colleges Have a Theater/Drama Major?
Wondering which colleges offer the best theater and drama programs? The good news is that students have numerous schools from which to choose. View a complete list of U.S. colleges and universities with theater programs below:
Adelphi University
Adrian College
Albany State University
Allegheny College
American International College | AIC
American University
Anderson University (Indiana)
Aquinas College (Michigan)
Arizona State University | ASU
Asbury University
Atlanta Metropolitan State College | AMSC
Auburn University
Auburn University at Montgomery | AUM
Augsburg University
Augusta University
Augustana College
Augustana University
Aurora University
Austin College
Averett University
Azusa Pacific University | APU
Baldwin Wallace University | BW
Ball State University | BSU
Bard College
Barnard College
Barton College
Baruch College | CUNY Baruch
Bates College
Baylor University
Belhaven University
Bellarmine University
Belmont Abbey College
Benedictine College
Berklee College of Music | Berklee
Berry College
Bethany College (West Virginia)
Bethel University (Minnesota)
Bethel University (Tennessee)
Biola University
Bismarck State College | BSC
Blackburn College
Bloomsburg University | BloomU
Blue Mountain College | BMC
Bob Jones University | BJU
Boise State University | BSU
Boston College | BC
Boston University | BU
Bowdoin College
Bowling Green State University | BGSU
Bradley University
Brandeis University
Brenau University
Brevard College
Bridgewater State University
Brooklyn College
Bryn Mawr College
Bucknell University
Butler University
California Baptist University | CBU
California Institute of the Arts | Cal Arts
California Polytechnic State University | Cal Poly
California State University, Chico | CSU Chico
California State University, East Bay | CSU East Bay
California State University, Long Beach | Long Beach State
California State University, Los Angeles | Cal State LA
California State University, Northridge | CSUN
California State University, Sacramento | Sacramento State
California State University, San Bernardino | CSUSB
California State University, Stanislaus | Stanislaus State
California University of Pennsylvania | Cal U
Cameron University
Campbell University
Capital University
Cardinal Stritch University
Carleton College
Carnegie Mellon University | CMU
Carroll College
Carroll University
Carson–Newman University
Carthage College
Case Western Reserve University
Castleton University
Catawba College
Cedar Crest College
Cedarville University
Centenary University
Central Connecticut State University | CCSU
Central Methodist University
Centre College
Chadron State College | CSC
Chapman University
Christopher Newport University | CNU
Clarion University
Clark University
Clarke University
Clayton State University
Coastal Carolina University | Coastal
Coe College
Colgate University
College of Staten Island | CUNY CSI
College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross
College of the Ozarks
College of William & Mary | William & Mary
Colorado College
Colorado Mesa University
Columbia College Chicago
Columbia University
Columbus State University
Concordia College (Minnesota)
Concordia University Irvine
Concordia University Nebraska
Concordia University, St. Paul
Connecticut College
Converse College
Cornell University
Creighton University
Culver–Stockton College
Cumberland University
Curry College
Dakota Wesleyan University | DWU
Dartmouth College
Davidson College
Dean College
Denison University
DeSales University
Dickinson College
Dordt College
Drake University
Drew University
Drury University
Duke University
Duquesne University
Earlham College
East Carolina University | ECU
East Tennessee State University | ETSU
East Texas Baptist University | ETBU
Eastern Connecticut State University | ECSU
Eastern Illinois University | EIU
Eastern Mennonite University | EMU
Eastern New Mexico University | ENMU
Eckerd College
Edgewood College
Elizabethtown College | E-town
Elon University
Emerson College
Emmanuel College (Massachusetts)
Eureka College
Evangel University
Evergreen State College
Fairfield University
Fairleigh Dickinson University | FDU
Fairmont State University
Ferrum College
Fitchburg State University
Flagler College
Florida Atlantic University | FAU
Florida Gulf Coast University | FGCU
Florida State College at Jacksonville | FSCJ
Fontbonne University
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Franklin and Marshall College | F&M
Frostburg State University
Furman University
Gallaudet University
Gardner–Webb University
George Fox University | GFU
George Mason University
George Washington University | GW
Georgetown University
Georgia College | GCSU
Georgia Southern University
Georgia State University
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga University
Gordon State College
Goshen College
Goucher College
Governors State University
Grambling State University | GSU
Grand View University
Grinnell College
Gulf Coast State College | GCSC
Gustavus Adolphus College
Hamilton College
Hamline University
Hampden–Sydney College | H–SC
Hampshire College
Hampton University
Hannibal–LaGrange University | HLGU
Hanover College
Hardin–Simmons University | HSU
Harvard University
Hastings College
Heidelberg University (Ohio)
Henderson State University | HSU
Hendrix College
High Point University
Hillsdale College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges | HWS
Hofstra University
Hollins University
Hope College
Howard University
Humboldt State University | HSU
Hunter College | CUNY Hunter
Huntington University
Husson University
Illinois State University | ISU
Illinois Wesleyan University
Indiana University Bloomington | Indiana
Indiana University Northwest | IU Northwest
Indiana University of Pennsylvania | IUP
Indiana Wesleyan University | IWU
Ithaca College
Jacksonville State University | JSU
Jacksonville University
John Brown University | JBU
John Paul the Great Catholic University | JPCatholic
Juniata College
Kansas State University | KSU
Kean University
Keene State College
Kent State University
Kentucky Wesleyan College | KWC
Kenyon College
Keuka College
King University
Knox College
Lafayette College
Lake Erie College
Lake Forest College
Lamar University
Lawrence University
Le Moyne College
Lee University
Lehigh University
Lehman College | CUNY Lehman
Lesley University
Lewis & Clark College
Limestone College
Lincoln College
Lindenwood University
Lindsey Wilson College
Lipscomb University
Longwood University
Louisiana College
Louisiana State University | LSU
Loyola Marymount University | LMU
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University New Orleans
Lubbock Christian University | LCU
Luther College
Macalester College
Manhattanville College
Marietta College
Marquette University
Mars Hill University
Marshall University
Martin Methodist College
Mary Baldwin University | MBU
Marymount Manhattan College
Marywood University
Mayville State University | MSU
McMurry University
McPherson College
Mercer University
Merrimack College
Metropolitan State University
Metropolitan State University of Denver | MSU Denver
Michigan State University
Michigan Technological University | Michigan Tech
MidAmerica Nazarene University | MNU
Middle Tennessee State University | MTSU
Middlebury College
Midland College | MC
Miles College
Milligan College
Millikin University
Mills College
Minnesota State University, Mankato | MNSU
Mississippi University for Women | MUW
Missouri Baptist University
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri State University | MSU
Missouri Valley College
Missouri Western State University
Montclair State University | MSU
Montreat College
Morehead State University | MSU
Morehouse College
Morgan State University
Mount Holyoke College
Mount Marty College
Muhlenberg College
Murray State University | MSU
Muskingum University
Nazareth College
Nevada State College | NSC
New College of Florida
New England College | NEC
New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology | New Mexico Tech
New School
New York City College of Technology | CUNY City Tech
Norfolk State University | NSU
North Carolina A&T State University | N.C. A&T
North Carolina Central University | NCCU
North Carolina State University | NC State
North Carolina Wesleyan College
North Dakota State University | NDSU
North Greenville University
Northcentral University
Northern Illinois University | NIU
Northwest Florida State College | NWFSC
Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest University
Northwestern Oklahoma State University | NWOSU
Northwestern State University of Louisiana | NSU
Northwestern University
Nova Southeastern University | NSU
Oberlin College
Ohio University
Oklahoma Christian University | OC
Oklahoma City University | OCU
Oklahoma State University | OSU
Old Dominion University | ODU
Olympic College
Oral Roberts University | ORU
Oregon Institute of Technology | Oregon Tech
Otterbein University
Our Lady of the Lake University | OLLU
Pacific Lutheran University | PLU
Pacific University
Palm Beach Atlantic University | PBA
Peninsula College
Pennsylvania State University | PSU
Pensacola State College
Pepperdine University
Piedmont College
Pittsburg State University | PSU
Point Park University
Pomona College
Portland State University | PSU
Presbyterian College
Principia College
Providence College
Purdue University Fort Wayne | PFW
Quinnipiac University
Ramapo College of New Jersey | RCNJ
Reed College
Regent University
Reinhardt University
Rhode Island College | RIC
Rice University
Ripon College
Rochester College
Rockford University
Rocky Mountain College | RMC
Roger Williams University | RWU
Rollins College
Roosevelt University
Rowan University
Rutgers University–Camden
Rutgers University–New Brunswick | Rutgers
Rutgers University–Newark
Sacred Heart University | SHU
Saint Joseph’s University | SJU
Saint Leo University
Saint Louis University | SLU
Saint Mary’s College (Indiana)
Saint Mary’s College of California | St. Mary’s
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota | SMU
Salem State University
Salve Regina University
Samford University
San Jose State University | SJSU
Santa Clara University
Sarah Lawrence College
Savannah College of Art and Design | SCAD
Savannah State University
School of the Art Institute of Chicago | SAIC
Seattle Pacific University | SPU
Seminole State College of Florida
Seton Hill University
Sewanee: The University of the South | Sewanee
Shawnee State University | SSU
Shenandoah University
Skidmore College
Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania | SRU
Sonoma State University | SSU
South Carolina State University | SCSU
South Dakota State University
South Georgia State College
Southeast Missouri State University | SEMO
Southeastern Oklahoma State University | SOSU
Southern Arkansas University | SAU
Southern Connecticut State University | SCSU
Southern Illinois University Carbondale | SIU
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville | SIUE
Southern Methodist University | SMU
Southern Oregon University | SOU
Southern Utah University | SUU
Southwest Baptist University | SBU
Southwest Minnesota State University | SMSU
Southwestern Assemblies of God University | SAGU
Southwestern University
Spelman College
Spring Arbor University | SAU
St. Ambrose University
St. Augustine’s University
St. Bonaventure University
St. Cloud State University | SCSU
St. Edward’s University
St. Johns River State College
St. Joseph’s University | SJU
St. Lawrence University
St. Mary’s College of Maryland
St. Michael’s College
St. Olaf College
Stanford University
State University of New York at Cortland | SUNY Cortland
State University of New York at Oneonta | SUNY Oneonta
State University of New York at Oswego | SUNY Oswego
State University of New York at Plattsburgh | SUNY Plattsburgh
State University of New York at Potsdam | SUNY Potsdam
Stephen F. Austin State University | SFA
Stephens College
Sterling College
Stetson University
Stevenson University
Stonehill College
Suffolk University
Swarthmore College
Syracuse University
Taylor University
Tennessee State University | TSU
Texas A&M University–Commerce
Texas Christian University | TCU
Texas Tech University | TTU
Texas Wesleyan University
The College at Brockport, State University of New York | SUNY Brockport
The Ohio State University | OSU
The State University of New York at Albany | SUNY Albany
The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton
The State University of New York at Geneseo | SUNY Geneseo
Towson University
Trinity College
Trinity University
Truman State University | TSU
Tufts University
Tulane University
Union College (New York)
Union University
University of Alabama
University of Alabama at Birmingham | UAB
University of Alabama in Huntsville | UAH
University of Arkansas
University of Arkansas at Little Rock | UA Little Rock
University of Arkansas–Fort Smith | UAFS
University of California, Berkeley | UC Berkeley
University of California, Davis | UC Davis
University of California, Irvine | UC Irvine
University of California, Los Angeles | UCLA
University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside
University of California, Santa Barbara | UCSB
University of California, Santa Cruz | UCSC
University of Central Arkansas | UCA
University of Chicago
University of Cincinnati
University of Connecticut | UConn
University of Dayton
University of Denver
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Evansville
University of Florida
University of Georgia
University of Hawaii at Hilo | UH Hilo
University of Hawaii at Manoa | UH Manoa
University of Houston
University of Idaho
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign | UIUC
University of Indianapolis | UIndy
University of Iowa
University of Jamestown
University of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of La Verne
University of Louisiana at Lafayette | UL Lafayette
University of Louisville
University of Lynchburg
University of Mary Washington | UMW
University of Maryland, Baltimore County | UMBC
University of Maryland, College Park | Maryland
University of Massachusetts Amherst | UMass Amherst
University of Massachusetts Lowell | UMass Lowell
University of Memphis
University of Miami
University of Michigan–Flint | UofM-Flint
University of Minnesota Duluth | UMD
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | Minnesota
University of Mississippi | Ole Miss
University of Mobile
University of Mount Union
University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO
University of Nebraska–Lincoln | UNL
University of New Orleans | UNO
University of North Alabama | UNA
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | UNC
University of North Carolina School of the Arts | UNCSA
University of North Dakota | UND
University of Northern Iowa | UNI
University of Pennsylvania | UPenn
University of Pittsburgh | Pitt
University of Portland
University of Providence | UP
University of Puget Sound
University of Redlands
University of Rhode Island | URI
University of Richmond
University of Rochester
University of Sioux Falls | USF
University of South Alabama | South
University of Southern California | USC
University of Southern Indiana | USI
University of Southern Maine | USM
University of Southern Mississippi | Southern Miss
University of St. Thomas (Texas)
University of Tampa | UT
University of Texas at Arlington | UT Arlington
University of Texas at Austin | UT Austin
University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP
University of the Arts | UArts
University of the Ozarks
University of Toledo
University of Tulsa
University of Utah
University of Vermont | UVM
University of Virginia | UVA
University of West Florida | UWF
University of West Georgia | UWG
University of Wisconsin-Madison | Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin–Green Bay | UW–Green Bay
University of Wisconsin–La Crosse | UW–La Crosse
University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | UWM
University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh | UW Oshkosh
University of Wisconsin–River Falls | UW–River Falls
University of Wisconsin–Stevens Point | UW–Stevens Point
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater | UW–Whitewater
Ursinus College
Utah State University
Valdosta State University | VSU
Valparaiso University | Valpo
Vanderbilt University
Vanguard University
Vassar College
Virginia Tech
Viterbo University
Wabash College
Wagner College
Wake Forest University
Waldorf University
Washburn University
Washington and Lee University
Washington College
Washington University in St. Louis | WashU
Wayland Baptist University | WBU
Wayne State College
Weber State University
Webster University
Wellesley College
Wesleyan University
West Chester University | WCUPA
West Texas A&M University | WTAMU
West Virginia Wesleyan College
Western Carolina University | WCU
Western Illinois University | WIU
Western Kentucky University | WKU
Western Oregon University | WOU
Western State Colorado University
Western Washington University | WWU
Westfield State University
Westminster College (Pennsylvania)
Westminster College (Utah)
Westmont College
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Whitman College
Whitworth University
Wichita State University | WSU
Wilkes University
Willamette University
William Carey University | WCU
WIlliam Woods University | WWU
Williams Baptist University
Williams College
Wilmington College
Winona State University | WSU
Winthrop University | WU
Wisconsin Lutheran College | WLC
Wofford College
Worcester State University
Wright State University
Xavier University
Yale University
York College of Pennsylvania
York College, City University of New York | CUNY York
Youngstown State University
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