New National College Guide Cites Nation’s Top Schools in Creative Arts

DePaul University’s reputation as a haven for education in the creative arts just got another boost.

The university was profiled in the new national college guide book, "Creative Colleges," written by education editor Elaina Loveland and published by SuperCollege. The guide researched universities from around the country and profiled the top 200 with outstanding programs in art, drama, dance, music and creative writing.

The Theatre School at DePaul was cited by the publication for its wide range of programs, the availability of scholarships and the school’s broad array of extracurricular opportunities – including numerous productions, playwriting festivals, and its guest-lecture series.

"We are thrilled that the quality of our programs and the diversity of experience that students receive at The Theatre School have been recognized in this new guide book," said John Culbert, dean of The Theatre School. "It’s especially gratifying as we celebrate our 80th anniversary training young artists in Chicago, one of the best places to begin a career in the creative arts."

DePaul is one of nine Illinois universities profiled in the guide, designed for high school students or parents of high school students with an interest in majoring or minoring in an arts-related college discipline.

This is the second college guidebook in six months to honor DePaul for one of its schools’ creative efforts. The School of Music was named as one of the "Schools That Rock" in the 2005 Rolling Stone guidebook that evaluated collegiate music schools nationally. The book praised opportunities for DePaul music students to gain practical experience performing with Chicago professional music ensembles and noted the school’s performing arts management and sound recording technology programs.

With a diverse population of 23,148 students on two city and four suburban campuses, DePaul is the largest Catholic university in the nation and the country’s 10th-largest private, not-for-profit university. DePaul is an innovative and diverse university offering pragmatic educational programs that instill values, including a commitment to community service.