<p>Pittsburgh and Chicago aren’t NYC which you indicated you prefer, but the program at CMU is one of the best, so you might want to put that on your list to consider, as well as DePaul. Philadelphia has UArts which has a very strong theatre (including design) program, but is a smaller school in terms of offerings outside of theatre. If a larger city is important, but not necessarily NYC, you may want to add the Cincinnati Conservatory to your list. There are also good programs in and around Washington., DC- American and Catholic.</p>