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University Park, PA · Art, music & theater

Art, music & theater at Penn State

Penn State graduates about 240 art, music & theater majors a year, 2% of its graduating class. That puts it 136th of 668 schools we score for art, music & theater, a strong program at 74 out of 100. Graduates in the major earn a median $45,000 four years out, about the national figure for the same major. Research spending in the field runs about $1 million a year, a rough guide to how many labs and projects undergraduates can join.

74/100Strong#136 of 668 for art, music & theater →
Graduates a year2402% of the class
Median pay 4 years out$45,0001.04× the same major nationally
Research in the field$1Ma year, NSF
Admit rate61%whole school
SAT middle 50%1210–1390whole school

Around Penn State

An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory on the campus of Penns
2025-08-30 10 54 20 An artificial waterfall in front of the Osmond Laboratory onPhoto: Famartin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Lit performing at Penn State's "Movin' On" concert series overnight from 10-11 J
2004 07 11 - State College - Lit 07 (3049357864)Photo: thisisbossi · CC BY-SA 2.0 · source
University Park, PA, USA
University Park, PA, USA - panoramio (8)Photo: thomasrive · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
The Thomas Building at Penn State University Park. It contains classrooms, the s
Thomas Building Penn State University ParkPhoto: JohnDziak · CC0 · source

Where art, music & theater happens

Buildings on campus that fit the field: O. Richard Bundy Blue Band Building, Turfgrass Museum, Palmer Museum at the Arboretum, Susan Welch Liberal Arts Building, Music Building II, Visual Arts Ceramics Studio, Arts Cottage, Milton S Eisenhower Auditorium, Pavilion Theartre, Music Building, Theatre Building, Visual Arts Building.

Named buildings on the campus map: Academic 279 · Dorm 62 · Student housing 45 · Athletics 13 · Arts 13 · Dining 8.

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Nearby in the art, music & theater ranking

  1. University of Maryland, College Park 75
  2. Creighton University 75
  3. Westmont College 75
  4. Bucknell University 75
  5. Ithaca College 74
  6. University of Kansas 74
  7. University of Missouri 74
  8. Clemson University 74

Other strong majors at Penn State

How the score works

The score is out of 100 and compares Penn State with every school we score in art, music & theater. It weighs the school's overall strength; how many students graduate in the major and what share of the class they are; research spending in the field (NSF); early pay against the same major nationally; how many courses the catalog lists; and test scores. 80+ is a standout program, 65+ strong, 45+ solid. Sources: US Department of Education (College Scorecard, IPEDS), NSF HERD, each school's current course catalog, OpenStreetMap and Wikimedia Commons.

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