I’m wondering if anyone has information about overseas MT degree programs. We are looking at schools in the UK where costs are significantly less even for international students, but I cannot find any conversations about this. I’d love to hear from anyone who has studied overseas, or currently is. Information about good schools, what it’s like, things to consider that we might not think of…
Here are some past threads on this topic:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/20561368#Comment_20561368
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1345787-uk-schools-p1.html
You can find more by using the Advanced Search feature:
- Limit your seach by choosing the "Musical Theatre Major" from the drop-down list under "Forum" - scroll down a ways to find it.
- Search for "Royal Conservatoire of Scotland," "UK Schools," etc.
Thank you!
Hello @tatteredandfriendly , in the UK you have excellent options. You should take a look into MT schools in Canada and Australia. In the Netherlands there are good options too but you will have to speak dutch though. In Singapore there is another option too.
UK Schools:
Arts Educational School London
Guildford School of Acting
Laine Theatre Arts.
Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts London
London Studio centre
The Urdang Academy
Performers Arts College.
London School of Musical Theatre
Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
bird college
Italia Conti
The Royal Academy of Music
Royal Conservatory of Scotland
Sylvia Young Theatre School, London.
Millennium College of Performing Arts.
LAMDA
RADA
Rose Bruford College.
Phil Winston’s Theatreworks
Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama
the mta london
Australia:
Victorian College of the Arts . University of Melbourne
National Institute of Dramatic Art
Western Australian Academy of the Performing Arts
Griffith University
Federation University Australia - U Ballarat
Australian Institute of Music
Central Queensland University - Conservatorium
APO Arts Academy
AMPA - Academy of Music and Performing Arts
Patrick Studios
Brent Street Performing Arts School
Ballarat Ballet Centre
Dance World Studios
ED5 International
Canada:
Sheridan College
Capilano University
MacEwan University
Randolph Academy of the Performing Arts
Dalhousie University
St. Lawrence
St. Clair
Singapore:
LaSalle College of the Arts
Luisen, great list! Thank you so much 
Wow, @luisen this is quite a list. Thank you! And you are certain all these give a musical theatre degree?
@Notmath1 yes they all offer MT degrees. If I could choose my top 5 would be Arts Educational School London, Laine Theatre Arts, The Urdang Academy, WAPA, and Sheridan.
I think that some of them don’t actually offer actual college degrees - such as Capilano, which I think offers a diploma - so it’s more like vocational training.
@luisen , do you have an opinion on Royal Conservatory of Scotland?
Also, my son was expressing some concern over 3 year vs 4 year programs. Many of the UK schools are 3 year BA programs, which is great in terms of saving money and time, but he’s wondering if he’ll get enough training. I’m thinking that because their BA programs are more focused on the subject (like a BFA here in the states), it might even out? Actually, I asked this question about if it’s true that their BAs are more like our BFA programs in another thread but since it wasn’t answered there yet maybe someone here can weigh in.
@tatteredandfriendly - if you look at the curricula for the UK programs, you will see that they are focused entirely on pre-professional training with basically zero General Education requirements and courses. This allows the programs to be completed in three years instead of four. From my observation, it appears that you get as much or more training in singing, dancing, and acting than in a typical US BFA program. If you take a detailed look at the curricula for many US BFA programs, you will typcially find a couple of semesters with very little in the way of theatrical training and mostly Gen Ed/non-performance courses.
The program structures look very complete vs. US BFA’s in terms of theatrical training. I like the fact that some of the UK schools include a wellness component to their program with training in being a “healthy performer.” I have heard many positive comments from experts about the superior level of acting training in some/many of the UK programs.
Some/many of these programs may not put on full-scale, Broadway-style productions like many US BFA programs, but, then again, some/many US BFA programs perform in relatively small, black-box style venues (< 250 seats) or only do one major musical production in a large venue. However, they all seem to include interesting performance opportunities.
There are many great benefits. The primary drawbacks, as noted in other threads, include:
- Adapting to life overseas, which may be "harder than it looks" for many Americans. I have traveled extensively on business in the UK for over two decades and I would personally advise not to underestimate this factor. Part of the issue is just the raw logistical nightmare of trying to do everything on the other side of the ocean, in a different financial and social system. Banking, medical treatment, living accommodations, etc. all present twice the headaches vs. going to school in the USA.
- Difficulties with auditioning and scheduling Summer Stock work (some/many UK programs don't end until mid-to-late June).
- Very limited opportunities to establish any US theatre connections outside of the NYC showcases at the end of the program.
- It is extremely difficult to try and stay in UK and work after graduation.
My understanding is that the RCS has an excellent reputation.
@tatteredandfriendly Yes indeed Capilano offers a diploma but not a degree and some of these shcools have moved from general diplomas to BFA or BAs like Sheridan. I agree completely with @EmsDad . If your son is looking for pre-professional training with zero general education go to the UK or Australia, but if he wants to have the college experience stay in the US.
RCS has a very good reputation. I dont know if you are concerned that Arts Education School is the UK school with the highest former students working in the West End. If your son is accepted at this school he should deffinatly move to the UK, mainly because of the training quality that this prestigious school offers…
Going abroad has its ups and downs, I can say it has more benefits than drawbacks. If you don’t mind, what are your son’s reasons to go overseas? I see that the costs are pushing you to look abroad,
Also I have also followed the careers of some former students from the most prestigious US Universities in the last 4 years, many of them are working on Brodaway, tours and other entertainment areas but also there is case where some of them are not even working in the performing arts. Staying in the US and study in one of these schools does not mean that your son will get into a Broadway show.
I highly recomend your son to contact the former students from the UK and US schools, this could help him to have a better perspective and unsderstanding of the reality.
@EmsDad Thanks very helpful.
@luisen , sorry for the super late response here. I forgot to keep checking this thread but now that my son is on the verge of actually sending out applications I’m re-visiting a lot of our research. I think that my son’s interest in studying abroad is a combination of adventure and liking UK weather (he prefers to be cold to hot). We lived in Asia when he was younger so I’m not too worried about the issue of adjusting to a different country; I mean, of course he’ll have an adjustment period, but it will be less culture shock than he has experienced in the past.
My son graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) in July 2017. All of the points that EmsDad makes in post # 9 are correct. Yes, logistics are difficult and sometimes confusing coming from US and going to UK, but it really wasn’t so bad. Program was 3 years and is truly a conservatory-- no math and science classes here! My son received excellent training and graduated a quadruple-threat, which RCS is very keen on. He’s been living in NYC for less than a year and has been working in the business steadily (some paying gigs, some not…) , although he has a non-theatre job to pay the bills. Last night he went onstage for the first time in an Off-Broadway show. We’ve been happy with his progress. I’ll be happy to answer any Qs about RCS and Glasgow. (Glasgow is a fabulous, vibrant city!! And, MUCH cheaper than London.)
@SU88BFA , RCS is the main overseas school that my son is looking at! So happy to be able to talk to someone with a recent graduate. I’m sure we’ll have lots of question for you if you don’t mind. Here’s what comes to mind immediately…
• Does your son feel that not studying in NYC with the inherent potential to make good Broadway contacts there is something to factor strongly? Does he think there were missed opportunities there?
• Do you know if people in the NYC theater scene see his RCS degree positively?
• Did he do the NY showcase with RCS and if so, was it beneficial? Or perhaps the better question is, was it well attended?
• I’m assuming that a 3 year BA from the UK that is really more like a BFA here, will not hold any weight if he someday wants to pursue higher education?
• Was the school nurturing? Community minded? Big happy family? Or more competitive and like, hey get ready for real life and sort it out kid.
• My son didn’t get the MT bug until high school, so he’ll only have had a couple of years of dance and voice training when he goes off to college. So he’s wondering if 3 of college will be enough training. Thinking that maybe since it’s so very focused, it will actually be equivalent to 4 years in a school here that adds in a bit of broader academia. Does this ring true?
• Also, do you have any idea what the numbers are for getting in to RCS? As in, how many applicants for how many slots?
Thank you so much
Hello tattered and friendly-- I will try-- to the best of my knowledge, as a parent and not an RCS student, to answer your questions:
• Does your son feel that not studying in NYC with the inherent potential to make good Broadway contacts there is something to factor strongly? Does he think there were missed opportunities there? >> Not sure-- He’s making contacts now, as a working actor. I guess if he went to school in NYC he would probably have more by now, but it’s not something I think he regrets. He only applied to 1 NYC school and wasn’t accepted. No heartbreak then. It is what it is.
• Do you know if people in the NYC theater scene see his RCS degree positively? >> Honestly, many people haven’t heard of it. But, when they see it on his resume at an audition, they ask questions, because it’s out of the norm. It’s a good ice-breaker.
• Did he do the NY showcase with RCS and if so, was it beneficial? Or perhaps the better question is, was it well attended? >> RCS did have a showcase in March of his 3rd year, and it wasn’t well attended. The school didn’t do a great job of getting industry people in…or, if they tried, the industry folks didn’t show up. It was mostly family at the showcases. RCS has since changed their showcase and they are now doing a days-long workshop/showcase in the summer after graduation. To be honest, I don’t know any more about it, or if it is successful, or not. It is a weakness of the program. But, in the end, it’s the talent of the individual that’s going to get them hired.
• I’m assuming that a 3 year BA from the UK that is really more like a BFA here, will not hold any weight if he someday wants to pursue higher education? >> Yes, the BA at RCS is like a BFA in the US. It is a recognized degree the States, and I would expect my son to have no issues if he wanted to pursue a Master’s degree. But, we haven’t gone that far, so I couldn’t honestly say.
• Was the school nurturing? Community minded? Big happy family? Or more competitive and like, hey get ready for real life and sort it out kid. >> Like typical UK schools, RCS is pretty hands-off with the kids, in a way. In the UK, when you turn 18, you’re an adult and very much treated that way. We, in the US, coddle our children a lot more. That being said, RCS does care about the kids. It’s a small school and it’s easy to be known to everyone within the school. My kid loved his classmates. They instantly bonded as a family-- 18 of them. Some of the other year classes weren’t so close. I don’t think it was cut-throat within each class, but I could be wrong. I would think there’d be some kind of competition. It’s only human nature.
• My son didn’t get the MT bug until high school, so he’ll only have had a couple of years of dance and voice training when he goes off to college. So he’s wondering if 3 of college will be enough training. Thinking that maybe since it’s so very focused, it will actually be equivalent to 4 years in a school here that adds in a bit of broader academia. Does this ring true? >> I honestly couldn’t say, because I have no other school to compare my son’s training to. Remember-- it’s a conservatory-- so EVERY class he takes is training. He didn’t have to worry about taking 15, 30 (or whatever) number of credits to fulfill the “core curriculum” of english, language, science, etc.
• Also, do you have any idea what the numbers are for getting in to RCS? As in, how many applicants for how many slots? >> Sorry, I don’t have those numbers. I was always under the impression that it was much more competitive for the UK kids to get in vs. the US kids. Several UK classmates of my son’s auditioned 2-3 years in a row, trying to get in.
Overall, my son was very happy during his 3 years at RCS and in Glasgow-- he wouldn’t trade it for anything. No regrets. No program is going to be perfect. RCS was also very affordable-- much cheaper that many of the US schools he got into, believe it or not, even with travel. (That’s not reason why he went there…but it certainly was a factor.)
@tatteredandfriendly my daughter also has RCS at the top of her list. She went to the RADA summer program in London as a “tester” experience to see how she felt being in the UK, and if she could have moved all her stuff right then and there, she would have. She has already told me that if she gets in to RCS, it’s where she wants to go. I’m not so gung-ho because I want to be able to see her more than twice a year, but if it works out for her, we will definitely consider it. I keep sending her screenshots of the Glasgow weather, but she just rolls her eyes at me. Ha!
I will have to go read up on Arts Education School.
My daughter has dual citizenship, was born in London, lives in the US now and will graduate from a US high school. She wants a UK university degree. So thank you for the insights.
In terms of the 3 year BA degree… that is standard in the UK. (though I understand many Scottish universities are 4 years) In any major they tend to have very few if any general ed requirements. A US and UK undergraduate degrees are generally considered equivalent.