Tisch vs Steinhardt Musical Theatre

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
1

Hello, I know there are a lot of posts on this topic, but those are from years ago, so I wanted to make this as an “up-to-date” version. I’m also making this because I am trying to decide whether to apply to Tisch or Steinhardt for musical theatre. I will compare them below. Based on what I’ve read online, I’d say that:

Steinhardt…

  • is singing-based, offering more vocal training and less acting/dancing training than Tisch
  • also trains musical theatre majors in classical singing, preparing them for Broadway or opera
  • accepts less people than Tisch, but their applicant pool is much smaller than Tisch’s
  • usually puts on better quality productions than Tisch
  • more camaraderie between students
  • has less alumni on Broadway, but has less alumni in general due to consistently being a smaller program

Tisch…

  • is acting-based, offering more acting and slightly more dance training and less vocal training
  • has more industry-professionals teaching
  • accepts more people than Steinhardt, but has a much larger applicant pool
  • has worse productions than Steinhardt, graduate students get priority in casting
  • students develop a more independent attitude, which can be helpful for transitioning to NYC life and pursuing an acting career after graduation
  • has more alumni working on Broadway, but has more alumni in general due to consistently being a larger program

This is essentially all I’ve been able to find on the topic. If the information I have stated is no longer true or never was true, please forgive and correct me. I want accurate info, obviously. If there is any more info that would be helpful, I’d appreciate it. Would you say one is definitively better over the other, or are they just different?

2

Let me say that overall your summary sounds good. I think anyone attending NYU learns to be independent and I think the Tisch MT students are pretty close but otherwise I think you’ve got some interesting points differentiating the two. My daughter looked at applying to both programs and ended up applying to Tisch. The difference was the curriculum. If you look at the curriculum for Steinhardt and you look at the curriculum for the New Studio on Broadway you will see enormous differences. Both train triple threats but Steinhardt is really for performers who are singers first; Tisch is best for performers who are actors/dancers first.