What schools are in NYC? What type of program are they? Which have the “best” or most liked programs? Notable alumni?
There is a sticky thread above that lists all the colleges by state and program … you could start your research there.
NYC and Greater NYC Area
American Musical & Dramatic Academy BFA/2YR CERT
CAP21 2YR CERT
Circle the Square Theatre School 2YR CERT
Five Towns College BM w/MT conc
Hofstra U BFA w/MT Minor Aud 2nd yr
Long Island U Post BFA
Manhattanville College BA Music w/MT conc
Marymount Manhattan BA w/ MT Minor
Molloy/CAP21 BFA
NYU: Steinhardt BM*
NYU: Tisch BFA
Pace U BFA*
Wagner College BA
New Jersey
Fairleigh Dickinson U Madison/Florham BA w/MT conc
Montclair State U BFA
Rider U BFA
- Indicates a prescreen is required
As @KaMaMom noted, you can find all MT programs from a state using the the “Big List of MT Colleges: By State” posted at the top of this thread (that is where I got the list shown above). The last page the thread has the most current list.
At The New School graduates of AMDA can transfer credits and earn a BFA in MT. http://www.newschool.edu/public-engagement/bfa-musical-theater/
There is also a four year BFA program in Dramatic Arts. http://www.newschool.edu/drama/bfa/
These were not available a few years ago when my daughter applied for their BA program.
LIU, Hofstra, Molloy & Five Towns are on Long Island. With Molloy being shortest ride to the city.
Fordham BA? (Can’t remember if it is acting or MT)
Fordham is acting.
Also Fordham’s acting program is in Lincoln Center not on their Bronx campus. So it is a vertical campus, the classes and dorms are in the same building. Oh and cafeteria too. My D did not like that, she wants to walk from building to building, the tour guide actually said she has to remind herself to go outside. However the area can not be beat. And Alvin Ailey is literally right there so easy to take dance classes if want.
My current profile picture is of Manhattan taken from the Montclair campus. Beautiful views!
The only non-Manhattan school on this list that will get you to for example midtown Manhattan on public transportation in less than an hour is Montclair. So if 1 1/2 to 2+ hours outside of the city travel time is the window to count, then you can also add Philadelphia to the mix (which could include Temple University and U of Arts).
Does anyone have info on the Five towns program? It is listed in their website as a BFA in Theatre Arts
But as. I understand it, it is difficult to audition in New York from Montclair since most calls are on school days and absences are not permitted.
^^For that matter, I wouldn’t go to school in or near NYC for the purpose of being able to audition. My kid did go to school right in Manhattan, but didn’t audition for jobs that would take her out of school, not to mention that there was no time and also a strict attendance policy in studio classes.
At Montclair you can miss 2 of each class a semester before your grade goes down, so auditioning is not that easy. Yes, most auditions in the City are on weekdays, and the kids’ schedules are very full. But hopefully people don’t go to college to audition. It IS nice to be able to get to shows and just in general get to know the City, and having working faculty from the City is great too. But of course there are many wonderful programs no where near the City that have many advantages, too. There is no one size fits all. My daughter really wanted to be close to a city, mainly because she grew up in the middle of no where and wanted a different experience, and she has enjoyed being so close to Manhattan. And on a few occasions she has been able to go in and audition for summer jobs that she would not be able to do if she weren’t so close. But in general, that is definitely NOT a reason to go to school near NYC.
And as for the OP’s question about best or most-liked programs and notable alumni, that question may be more appropriate 9 months from now when you have to pick one among your acceptances. ALL of these programs have their fans, all have notable alumni, and the older and bigger the program is, the more you will find. All of the auditioned programs are extremely difficult to get into artistically, and NYU is the hardest to get into academically. Figure out if 2 year or 4 year or BA vs BFA or Acting vs MT matters to you. In the end, you’ll be pretty lucky to get into any of them.