How to Compare BFA Musical Theatre Programs Beyond the Rankings

Search for the "best" BFA Musical Theatre programs and you will find plenty of lists.

They can be useful when you are beginning your college search. You may discover programs you have never heard of or learn more about schools already on your radar. Eventually, though, you need a more personal way to compare them.

A BFA program shapes four years of your training, your college experience, and a significant financial investment. The details matter: how often you take dance, whether you receive private voice lessons, who can audition for productions, whether you can pursue a minor, what students do after graduation, and whether you actually want to live there.

Before you decide where a program belongs on your list, take a closer look at what those four years would actually be like.

Start with what matters to you

It is easy to collect college names before deciding what you want from college.

Spend some time on your own priorities first. Think about where you want to grow as a performer and what you want your college years to include.

Consider questions such as:

• Where do I most want to grow: acting, voice, or dance?
• How much individual attention do I want from faculty?
• Do I prefer a small cohort or a larger program?
• How important are academics outside the BFA?
• Do I want the option to minor or study abroad?
• How much do performance opportunities matter to me?
• Do I want a traditional college campus, a conservatory environment, or something in between?
• Would I rather live in a major city, a college town, or somewhere else?
• How important is access to professional work while I am still in school?
• What can my family realistically afford?

You may change some of these priorities as you learn more. That is part of the research process.

Choose a handful that matter most right now. They will give you something meaningful to compare when every program website starts to sound impressive.

Read the actual curriculum

"BFA in Musical Theatre" describes a degree. It does not describe an identical course of study.

Find the current degree requirements and, when available, the semester-by-semester curriculum for each program you are seriously considering.

Acting. Look at how much acting training students receive and how it develops over four years. You may find courses in contemporary scene study, classical text, Shakespeare, devised work, improvisation, movement, speech, dialects, stage combat, and acting for the camera. Think about your own training. Where would you like more depth?

Voice and musicianship. Find out whether private voice lessons are part of the degree and how many semesters students receive them. Look at the rest of the music curriculum too. Depending on the program, that may include music theory, sight singing, ear training, piano, vocal ensemble, or song interpretation.

Dance. Look beyond the number of dance courses listed. Which styles are taught? How frequently do students dance? Are classes leveled by experience? Can students move between levels as they progress? An experienced dancer and a student who began dancing recently may evaluate the same curriculum very differently.

Additional training. Look for areas that matter to your particular goals: on-camera acting, voice and speech, movement, choreography, directing, writing, audition technique, self-taping, arts entrepreneurship, or other specialized work.

Once you have looked at several actual curricula side by side, the differences between programs often become much clearer.

Understand how performance opportunities work

Production photos are fun to browse. For your college research, learn how students get into those productions.

Some useful questions include:

• Can freshmen audition for mainstage productions?
• How many productions does the department mount each year?
• Can Musical Theatre students audition for plays?
• Can Acting students audition for musicals?
• Are there student-directed productions?
• Are there opportunities for new works?
• Can students participate in opera or film projects?
• Are certain productions restricted by class year or major?
• How large is the student population compared with the number of available roles?
• Can students perform professionally outside the university?

Casting policies vary widely. So do students' preferences. One student may want to audition from the first semester. Another may be happy to spend freshman year concentrating heavily on training. Knowing how a program works helps you decide whether its approach suits you.

Consider the rest of your college experience

BFA students spend a great deal of time training, rehearsing, and performing. They also spend four years at a college or university.

Look at the academic structure around the degree. How much room is available for electives? Can students realistically complete a minor? Can they study abroad without disrupting the BFA sequence? Are there other subjects you would like the opportunity to study?

Then look at daily life.

Consider the size of the university, housing, campus culture, surrounding community, transportation, weather, distance from home, clubs and activities, and anything else that affects the kind of college experience you want.

These preferences are personal. A busy urban campus can sound exciting to one student and exhausting to another. A traditional residential campus can feel ideal to one student and limiting to someone else.

Four years is a long time. Give yourself permission to care about where and how you will live them.

Look closely at career preparation

Famous alumni tend to get prominent placement on program websites. Spend some time looking at recent graduates too.

Where are graduates from the last few years working? What kinds of careers are they building?

Then look at the preparation students receive before graduation.

You might investigate:

• Senior showcases and who participates
• Audition and self-tape training
• Opportunities to meet agents, managers, casting professionals, directors, and other industry professionals
• Internships and professional partnerships
• On-camera training
• Business and career courses
• Alumni networks
• Faculty members who remain active in the profession

You can also ask what students learn about the practical side of working as an artist. Contracts, taxes, marketing materials, websites, reels, professional communication, and personal finances become very real subjects after graduation.

Recent outcomes can give you a clearer picture of how the program currently prepares students for that transition.

Include cost in your research

Run the Net Price Calculator for every school you are seriously considering. Do this early enough that the results can inform your college list.

Look at the full estimated cost of attendance and think about expenses beyond tuition:

• Housing and meals
• Books and supplies
• Travel home
• Local transportation
• Program-specific expenses
• Personal expenses

Families can also research whether a program awards talent scholarships and whether the university offers academic merit aid.

The useful number is the estimated cost after likely aid, considered within your family's own financial boundaries.

A frank family conversation before applications go out can make decision season much easier.

Learn from people as well as websites

Once a program interests you, look for information from several sources.

Attend virtual information sessions. Visit when you can. Watch productions. Read faculty biographies. Listen to interviews or podcasts featuring faculty and students. Look at student-created content. Talk with current students and recent graduates when you have the opportunity.

Try asking the same questions at several programs.

For example:

• How does casting work for freshmen?
• How much private voice does an MT student receive over four years?
• How realistic is study abroad for a BFA student?

As you collect answers from several schools, you will begin to see meaningful differences.

Keep track of where information came from and when you found it. Curricula, faculty, policies, and opportunities can change, so current program and university sources should be your reference for anything that could affect your decision.

Decide what matters most

After researching several programs, return to the priorities you identified at the beginning.

Choose perhaps five that matter most to you.

A student might choose:

• Strong acting training
• Advanced dance opportunities
• Small cohort
• Ability to work professionally while enrolled
• Affordable four-year cost

Another student might choose:

• Intensive voice training
• Strong academics outside the BFA
• Study abroad
• Traditional campus experience
• Access to film and television training

Use those priorities as a lens when you review your schools. You can rate programs, make notes, create a comparison table, or simply write down what you have learned. The method matters less than taking the time to connect your research to your own goals.

Some schools will move up your list. Others will move down. That is exactly what good research is supposed to do.

Before a school stays on your list

For each program you are considering, see whether you can answer these questions:

• What specifically attracts me to the training?
• Where would this program help me grow?
• What would my life outside the program look like?
• Is this a financially realistic option for my family?
• If this were my only BFA acceptance, would I be excited to attend?

That final question can be especially useful. Applications, prescreens, fees, auditions, and travel require real time and resources. A shorter list of schools you have researched thoughtfully can be more useful than a longer list filled with programs you would never choose.

Frequently asked questions

What should I look for in a BFA Musical Theatre program?

Start with the areas that matter most to your own training. Compare acting, voice, dance, musicianship, performance opportunities, faculty access, and career preparation. Then consider academics, cohort size, campus environment, location, and cost. Looking at the complete four-year experience will give you a more useful picture of each program.

Do Musical Theatre program rankings matter?

Rankings can help you discover programs and begin your research. They cannot account for many of the differences that matter to an individual student, including training balance, curriculum, casting policies, cohort experience, academic flexibility, location, and affordability. Once you have a working list of schools, compare the programs themselves and decide which ones fit your priorities.

Is a conservatory or university BFA better for Musical Theatre?

Both models can provide excellent training. Students drawn to a highly concentrated performing-arts environment may prefer a conservatory-style experience. Students who want broader academics, minors, campus activities, or access to other disciplines may prefer a university setting. There is plenty of variation within both categories. Review the curriculum and graduation requirements at each individual school.

How can I compare the curricula at different BFA programs?

Find the current degree requirements for each program and look at the courses students take across all four years. Compare acting, private voice, dance, musicianship, movement, speech, performance, career preparation, and electives. Pay attention to course frequency and sequence as well. Four semesters of a subject provides a different training experience from one introductory course.

Should cost affect which BFA programs I apply to?

Cost deserves a place in your initial college research. Run each school's Net Price Calculator and discuss the results as a family. Consider the estimated cost after likely aid, along with housing, travel, supplies, and other expenses. Understanding your family's financial boundaries before applying gives you better information when deciding which schools belong on your list.

Build a list that fits you

The strongest college list grows out of careful research and a clear sense of what you want from your training and your college years.

Give yourself time to look past familiar names. Read curricula. Ask questions. Compare opportunities. Think about daily life and cost. Pay attention to the programs that keep giving you reasons to learn more.

By the time applications and prescreens begin, you should be able to explain why each school earned a place on your list.

If you are still deciding how many schools to include and how to account for the unpredictability of artistic admission, read How to Build a Balanced BFA Musical Theatre College List next.

Keep your program research organized

Curtain Call College Tracker can help you keep the research organized as your list develops, with one place for your schools, deadlines, prescreens, auditions, repertoire, costs, and results.

• Start your school list and track both tracks in one place — the first three schools are free
• How to Build a Balanced BFA Musical Theatre College List
• Understand the full audition process end to end
• Learn how to read a school's prescreen requirements