The Nation's 26 best Musical Theatre programs and how they rank against each other
There is always a strong level of subjectivity when ranking musical theatre programs, however, for those wanting to know where these programs stand compared to each other, there must be a definitive list created. It must be stressed that all the schools that appear below are excellent and thus recognized on this list.
Due to the subjective nature of ranking, it is best to split the rankings into tiers. While some schools excel in certain areas, they are lacking in others. There is no perfect school, each school is constantly growing and expanding in new ways to accommodate the ever-changing musical theatre industry.
Here are the three key criterium for which each school was judged by:
Alumni
What are the alumni doing currently? Do they have big named Alumni? Are there recent alumni on Broadway or other notable productions? How do the alumni feel about their education? What percentage of alumni find representation immediately following graduation? How is the school trending to industry professionals due to recent alumni?
Program/Curriculum
Does the curriculum cover singing, acting, and dancing in a sufficient manner? How much focused individual attention does each student receive? How large is each class? Is there a student cap? What is the faculty to student ratio? Does the curriculum allow for flexibility based on a student's strengths? Do they allow the students to do professional work before they graduate? Do they cast freshmen? Is it a cut program?
"The Business" Preparation
How well does the program and faculty prepare the seniors for the business? Is there a showcase? If not, what do they do in place of a showcase? What industry professionals, if any, do they bring in? What connections have the students made by the time they graduate?
There are three tiers in which the schools are grouped based on their level of excellence in all the criterium. Although the top tier represents the best schools, all 26 schools recognized on this list have phenomenal programs.
And without further adieu...
Tier 1:
(alphabetical)
Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music, BM
Boston Conservatory, BFA
Carnegie Mellon University, BFA
College-Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati, BFA
Penn State University, BFA
University of Michigan, BFA
University of Oklahoma, BFA
Tier 2:
(alphabetical)
Chicago College of the Performing Arts, Roosevelt, BFA
Elon University, BFA
Florida State University, BFA
Northwestern University, Musical Theatre Certificate
Oklahoma City University, BM
Otterbein University, BFA
Pace University, BFA
Point Park University, BFA
Texas State University, BFA
University of North Carolina School of the Arts, BFA
Tier 3:
(alphabetical)
Ball State University, BA
Emerson University, BA
Indiana University, BFA
Ithaca College, BFA
Millikin University, BFA
New York University - Tisch, BFA
Rider University, BFA
Shenandoah Conservatory, Shenandoah University, BFA
Syracuse University, BFA
University of Arizona, BFA
University of Miami, BFA
University of the Arts, BFA
Webster University, BFA
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