I have read through all the recent acceptance threads and noticed Sam Houston was not mentioned. My daughter is a junior, so we are just starting this “fun” adventure. I noticed nobody has mentioned Sam Houston’s program. I would love to hear if anyone knows anything at all about this program! Thanks
I actually mentioned Sam in a thread where people were talking about “diamonds in the rough.” Being from TX its on our list & D will audition for them in 2 weeks. It is a really good program that doesn’t get any buzz here b/c they don’t go to the Unified, etc. D’s audition coach is very familiar w/the program and visits them (as well as many others) throughout the year to do master classes and says the quality of training & education is on par w/many programs (like Wright State) that are regularly mentioned here. They have a decent number of working alumni, and their proximity to Houston makes it possible for students to experience/attend professional productions on occasion as well. Personally, I don’t love Huntsville, but that’s b/c I’m a Dallas native, and we are trained from birth to dislike anything close to Houston. LOL But Sam is a good regional university where your student can probably enjoy a good, traditional college experience w/o getting lost in the mix of a huge student body.
Edited to add: Don’t mistake their non-popularity outside of Texas/the region for easy to get into. It shouldn’t be considered a safety.
Adding to what @WTXMom said, students from Sam Houston routinely work in Houston professional theatre, with some landing summer jobs in their junior and senior years. D and I have been very favorably impressed with their work, especially at Stages, a small equity house in town. Working grads include Katie Rose Clarke who starred in Light in the Piazza, Wicked, and Allegiance on Broadway. Their MT class is fairly small (I think less than 20) and is competitive for entry. They do accept transfers.
Huntsville is not so bad, unless you are from (cough) Dallas, home to Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, and *Fast and Loud/i.
@WTXMom Thank you for replying! We are from Texas as well, and I am trying to find a program a bit closer to home… although Sam Houston would still be 8 hours away:( How hard is it to get into? Do you know how many they accept each year?
Sam is a little more than 7 hours from me, so I feel your pain…but it’s more palatable (travel wise) than most of my D’s current options (after 20 auditions!), which are almost all out of state and most will require her to fly to get to/from them at short breaks… Academically, Sam is not difficult to get into, but artistically, like EmsDad said, it is selective (less than 20) so the BFA-MT classes will be smaller than most BA classes you will find, at least in Texas.
Actually @WTXMom the Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Tx and The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders work out in Irving, Tx. I believe the training facilities for the Cowboys and Cheerleaders will be soon in Frisco, Tx. Hehe! People get so upset about hearing that the Dallas Cowboys play in Dallas when that is not the case. The old Stadium was in Irving, Tx.
Sam Houston will be one of the schools my d will audition for next year along with Texas State. The process sounds Brutal and Agonizing. My d was one of 12 accepted into Wagner’s Summer Musical Institute we are real excited about it. We will be visiting Rider, Ithaca, Montclair and Mulenberg this Summer. Good Luck Everyone!
Oops sorry that was @EmsDad who made the Dallas Comment about Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. Sorry @WTXMom .
Haha! It’s OK @Mel2421… the Houston area/Dallas area rivalry is all in good fun…even though Dallas is clearly better than Houston. 
And anyway, I believe Arkansas gave us Jerry Jones & any good Dallas Cowboys fan knows we can despise him while still loving the 'Boys!
And you are right, this process is brutal and you have to keep perspective…it’s a marathon, not a sprint! Definitely keep Sam in your sights if staying in TX is important. Also, this is off-topic, but in addition to the schools you mentioned, consider Central Oklahoma and OU - both of which typically offer some level of out-of-state tuition waiver as an incentive to Texas students (UCO is a BA, but structured like a BFA).
Yes @WTXMom She will probably audition at Both OK schools. Those schools mentioned previously we are visiting since we will be in New York. It looks like we will have to sit down and write a list of schools soon. Thanks for all the information.
OCU also has a good number of Texas students in attendance. I would check it out as well. Be aware those are 3 different schools:
OCU = Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, OK - Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre
UCO = University of Central Oklahoma, Edmond, OK - Bachelor of Music in Musical Theatre
OU = Oklahoma University, Norman OK - Bachelor of Fine Arts in Musical Theatre
@vvnstar Thanks for the Information.
Im from Texas and was in musical theater troupes with leaders from broadway and Sam Houston as well as Texas State are hidden gems in Texas