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fishbowlfreshman · 04-02-2006, 11:13 AM

There are no reliable rankings for undergraduate theatre schools and things become very murky when you start combining the different degree types and whatnot. For instance, there is a whole different pecking order between the straight acting and musical theatre BFAs. You also have to look at the BA programs that have a totally different philosophy about how a young actor should be developed. Then, there's an entirely different world when you start looking at the Design/Tech, Directing, Stage Management, Dramatic Writing, and Dramaturgy programs which I'm personally clueless about. Beyond that, some might argue that certain schools that are generally considered "top" are really coasting on past glories and there are some newer and/or lesser-known programs that are now graduating better trained/educated actors. This doesn't even begin to approach the subjective "fit" for individual students since some programs differ radically from others in their approach. Ten is also an arbitrary and unfair number to rank by because there are small groups generally considered at the very top with another group of twenty or more that might legitimately claim a spot in the "top 10" for different reasons. You'll find that many will make such a claim when you visit! LOL However, from what I can tell from my little place in the world, the most respected degrees in each category (in no scientific order) might be ...

BFA Acting
Juilliard
Carnegie Mellon
North Carolina School of the Arts
SUNY Purchase
Boston University
NYU/Tisch School of the Arts (Debatable since they have six primary acting studios that supposedly vary in quality with each being as big or bigger than an entire department at the rest of the schools.)

Musical Theatre
University of Cincinnati Conservatory
Carnegie Mellon
University of Michigan
NYU/Tisch CAP21 studio
NYU/Steinhardt
Oklahoma City University
Boston Conservatory

BA Drama
UCLA
Brown
Vassar
Northwestern

Yale's Masters program is no doubt one of the top MFAs, but their undergraduate drama program is still too new to consider "top" though I'm sure they'll be "up there" over time.

Others that are definitely on the radar when thinking about top theatre schools of differing types would be:
SMU
Cal Arts
USC
U. Minnesota Guthrie Program
DePaul
U. Evansville
Emerson
Ithaca
Otterbein
Rutgers
Florida State
U. Cincinnati Drama
Penn State
Syracuse
Elon
Webster
Cornell
Middlebury
Sarah Lawrence
Brandeis
Muhlenberg
Fordham
Cal State Fullerton
UNC Chapel Hill
Indiana University
U. Arizona

... and I'm sure there are more!

04-02-2006, 11:13 AM	#4
fishbowlfreshman Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Threads: 7 Posts: 410	There are no reliable rankings for undergraduate theatre schools and things become very murky when you start combining the different degree types and whatnot. For instance, there is a whole different pecking order between the straight acting and musical theatre BFAs. You also have to look at the BA programs that have a totally different philosophy about how a young actor should be developed. Then, there's an entirely different world when you start looking at the Design/Tech, Directing, Stage Management, Dramatic Writing, and Dramaturgy programs which I'm personally clueless about. Beyond that, some might argue that certain schools that are generally considered "top" are really coasting on past glories and there are some newer and/or lesser-known programs that are now graduating better trained/educated actors. This doesn't even begin to approach the subjective "fit" for individual students since some programs differ radically from others in their approach. Ten is also an arbitrary and unfair number to rank by because there are small groups generally considered at the very top with another group of twenty or more that might legitimately claim a spot in the "top 10" for different reasons. You'll find that many will make such a claim when you visit! LOL However, from what I can tell from my little place in the world, the most respected degrees in each category (in no scientific order) might be ... BFA Acting Juilliard Carnegie Mellon North Carolina School of the Arts SUNY Purchase Boston University NYU/Tisch School of the Arts (Debatable since they have six primary acting studios that supposedly vary in quality with each being as big or bigger than an entire department at the rest of the schools.) Musical Theatre University of Cincinnati Conservatory Carnegie Mellon University of Michigan NYU/Tisch CAP21 studio NYU/Steinhardt Oklahoma City University Boston Conservatory BA Drama UCLA Brown Vassar Northwestern Yale's Masters program is no doubt one of the top MFAs, but their undergraduate drama program is still too new to consider "top" though I'm sure they'll be "up there" over time. Others that are definitely on the radar when thinking about top theatre schools of differing types would be: SMU Cal Arts USC U. Minnesota Guthrie Program DePaul U. Evansville Emerson Ithaca Otterbein Rutgers Florida State U. Cincinnati Drama Penn State Syracuse Elon Webster Cornell Middlebury Sarah Lawrence Brandeis Muhlenberg Fordham Cal State Fullerton UNC Chapel Hill Indiana University U. Arizona ... and I'm sure there are more!