Arrrgghh! Sorry I missed Ohio Northern!
mspamela, I’ve been on CC for 10+ years, mainly on the theatre forums and had never heard of Ferrum until I read this thread. A search shows only 5 posts mentioning Ferrum, including this one. 
The others are not discussions of the school but rather just various listings. So, unfortunately, I don’t think you’re going to get much information here and that’s why no one ever mentions Ferrum for MT. The school, according to Wiki, only started granting degrees in 1977.
That doesn’t mean that your D shouldn’t consider it, but I’d recommend that you do a lot of research, including a visit. It’s important, as others have mentioned, to study the curriculum offerings at each school on your list, but don’t limit that to what appears on the schools’ websites. Ask specifically about what each year’s curriculum contains, and make sure that the courses listed are, indeed, offered each year. That is not always the case at all schools. A quick look at their website shows only three faculty members in the Theatre Arts program. I would inquire about that. The one individual listed for MT just started teaching there in 2014 and has listed in his bio obtaining an MFA in MT from Tisch. Tisch has an MFA in MT Writing but not in MT itself.
I would echo the comment about explaining to your D not to get hung up on the letters of the degree. A BFA is not better than a BA, and also to consider that not all BFAs or BAs should be looked at as equal, or even similar in some cases. Best of luck on your journey!
Ferrum is actually over 100 years old. It was a high school prep school, than transitioned to a jr college and finally a four year college. One interesting fact is that you have to pass a swim test before you can receive you’re degree (any degree). It’s a legacy rule.
Yes, the school itself was founded in 1913 as a private, religious-affiliated school, from what I can see. It was accredited as a four year college in 1976 and started granting degrees in 1977, which I mentioned as possibly another reason that it has never been discussed here. I can’t find any indication of when the theatre arts major started but even if it was one of the first, which I doubt, it’s still a relatively young program.
The swim test requirement is an interesting one! 
I know I’ve seen it mentioned as a requirement at other schools here on CC. I think it’s a good idea. I wonder, does the school offer lessons to those who are not swimmers so that they can pass the test or is that the responsibility of the student? Everyone should know how to swim and I support any effort to make that happen. The school system my Ds attended had swim lessons as part of the curriculum for third graders. They had/have weekly lessons for 12 weeks.
We had never heard of several schools until we started researching…so many people focus on only the “top tier” schools. This forum is very northeast focused…with a sprinkling of outliers.
Maybe it’s recent 4 year degree status is the reason. Its not a young program. As I mentioned i attended 88 - 92 and the program was well entrenched which makes it over 30 years old. But it’s a super small school; only 820 students when i attended.
There’s a jr olympic size swimming pool and I took water aerobics as one of my physical education electives. Unfortunately I knew a couple of people that had their diplomas delayed because they were deathly afraid of water. The requirement is that u swim up on your front and back on your back in the pool. You can dog paddle, float…however u like it and there isn’t a time limit.
As I mentioned it’s not an academic powerhouse but I would put my degree and my experiences up against any. And it’s served me very well, including my mt exposure.
Nevertheless I agree with you 100%. Visit, ask a lot of questions, figure out if the training is what you need/want, do a cost analysis, is it a fit? This applies to the hidden gems and to the top tiers. One person’s cast away is another person’s dream. Live yours!
@entertainersmom I didn’t realize Otterbein was quite as competitive as it seems to be…I went back and read the posts from your S’s class’s final decision page (I think it was that page? may have been another) and saw where they accept just a very small number. I know, I know, it’s ALL competitive. Thankfully my D is much more “thick-skinned” and confident and tough all around than I am. It just is a very daunting process all together and I know there’s nothing I can do about it other than research research research and support her every way I can, which of course is what I’ll do. I am so grateful for all this info though!
mspamela - I too was hesitant about Otterbein’s small class numbers, but someone will be accepted and it may be your daughter Son auditioned for MT, but was over the moon to be accepted for BFA Acting. He has a daily dance class, private voice lessons, and a group voice class this semester. He will also be able to take classes for his major that he may not have had room in his schedule for if he had been MT. Son is not a lithe and nimble dancer kind of guy, definitely a character actor, and he feels he made the right choice to go the acting route, especially at Otterbein.
@entertainersmom good point! I’m usually positive and optimistic and I do think she’ll end up where she’s meant to be…thanks for the encouragement. I know this thread is getting way off topic lol but I have another question. At most schools, when they audition for MT, are they automatically considered for the acting program? I know oftentimes kids are “redirected” so I’m assuming that’s generally the case with what I’m asking. It does make me feel better, knowing she could be offered a spot in an acting program, with the opportunity to create a class schedule that still allows her to take voice and dance.
It depends on the school. I know MT students are considered for acting at CMU. In fact, I think some “unofficial” CC detectives figured out that a large % of the bfa acting kids had applied as MT. At NYU if you audition for “all studios” (rather than MT only) you are eligible for both. Some schools automatically consider you for both. (if you apply MT- I don’t know of any school where a student who applied for acting would be considered for MT) Others might send something after an audition which asks if you would be open to other majors. (I think that happened at Pace for a kid I know- but can’t remember the whole story)
Definitely check with each school. Some require completely separate audition appointments and applications.
From what I can remember, there are some schools where the acting audition is completely separate because they are totally separate departments and faculty. Michigan, CCM and Penn State come to mind. At OCU you can audition for Acting, MT and VP (vocal performance) at the same audition but the decision comes from different schools (MT and VP are in the music school and Acting is in the School of Theatre). There are other schools where you can audition for both at the same audition – examples are Otterbein, and Coastal. As has been stated previously, NYU will consider you for acting or MT if you are open to any studio.
Definitely check with all schools in which you are interested as to how to apply to both programs if that is something you wish to do. As with everything else in this process, no school handles this in exactly the same way.
All of my friends at Ferrum (and CNU, actually) for their MT BFA transferred - and they had pretty substantial talent scholarships. From what I understand, the middle of nowhere location, unfocused training, meh faculty, and weird environment (religious and conservative combined with pretty loose admissions standards) really bog Ferrum down. However, they don’t have many theatre students, so your child will get leads in shows and lots of money. If she wants the small, private school thing, Emory and Henry might be worth looking into!
I did a ton of research last year and have a lot of friends at the public in-state theatre schools, so here’s what I know:
- VCU: No MT program, however the school produces at least one musical a year and dept chair Patti D’Beck is a Bway alum. A fair few MTers go there because it’s the best public option for a theatre BFA. Also, Richmond has a FANTASTIC theatre scene and VCU students perform at Virginia Rep and other local professional theatres all the time. There’s also lots of opportunities for outside training in Richmond, including a couple options for musical theatre private vocal coaches, two of which have students currently on Broadway, and adult dance classes at all levels. VCU kids also do a lot of student productions via Shafer St and films via VCUarts’ cinema program (and some of the film gigs pay!). I also have friends who transfer because most classes are taught by MFA students, it’s a huge school, etc. They accept 50 students of 250 applicants, so it’s not too bad, and VCU’s not hard to get into academically either.
- JMU: I’ve heard mixed things from MT students and alumni. For some, it’s the best four years of their life, a wonderful program, nothing but glowing reviews, but some alum I know don’t feel as if JMU prepared them to pursue theatre in the real world. It definitely depends on the person. A lot of great talent comes through their program because it’s the only public MT program in VA, so they get a lot of the state kids who got into bigger programs but can’t afford NYU and their ilk. Their program is also pretty selective (I think they accept 8-15 or some other crazy small number) in addition to JMU’s already high admission standards, so don’t put it down as a safety.
- CNU: Mixed bag again. Only seniors get cast in the mainstage shows, and it’s a BA with a concentration so there’s really not much MT training. Non-audition program, but you can audition for scholarships and you should. Pretty selective academically (although not as bad as JMU).
- GMU: The head of the dept is a sweetie, and they do have an MT minor now. They don’t produce a lot of shows, but I hear some of their students get work in DC. GMU’s pretty middle-of-the-road acceptance-wise, I don’t know what their rate is, but I think it’s less academically selective than CNU. I don’t think their theatre program is that hard to get into.
- Longwood: Good friend goes there and LOVES it, and a fantastic director I had who’s an alum is actively working in NYC now. Farmville is about as happening as you would expect a place called Farmville to be. My friend who goes there does a lot of shows at Hampton-Sydney. Not much there for MT-ers frankly, but awesome for theatre education, which a lot of MT kids end up fleeing to after feeling the reality of low employment rates when they hit college. Easy to get into academically, but balancing Honors College with BFA duties isn’t too bad from what I hear.
- Liberty: Adult CYT. Your child will be married by junior year.
Thanks @glitterati for all the info. Hmm, only seniors get cast in CNU mainstage shows? That’s a big drawback, IMHO. Can anyone confirm this?