Any suggestions on California MT programs? Thanks!!
California programs are a bit few and far between compared to the East Coast opportunities, but here is the list from the thread with programs by State:
CALIFORNIA
~California Lutheran University (BA) (BA w/MT emphasis)
~California State University-Chico (BA)
~California State University-East Bay (BA) (BA w/MT option)
California State University-Fullerton (BFA) (BA; BFA, audition at end of 2nd yr)
~California State University-Northridge (BA) (BA Theatre, MT Minor)
~California State University-San Bernadino (BA) (BA w/MT emphasis)
~Notre Dame de Namur University (BFA)
~Santa Clara University (BA) (BA in Music w/MT Minor)
University of California-Irvine (BFA) (audition for MT after certain coursework complete)
University of California-Los Angeles (BA) (12-15)
University of Southern California (BFA) (BFA in Acting, Minor in MT)
Vanguard University of Southern California (BA) (BA w/MT Concentration)
My daughter has friends in the programs at CLU and CSUN and both seem to be doing well and enjoying them. She has another friend headed to UC Irvine in the Fall as well. Since we live in CA I am requiring that she at least consider a few in State programs, but alas I think she is determined to go elsewhere!
I think at USC you can only minor in MT in the BA. And I think Pepperdine has a BA with MT focus, as does Chapman
Pepperdine has a BA in Theatre and Music. My d was accepted to the BA Theatre/Acting program at a regional audition and told to audition with the Music Department in order to be accepted for the BA in Theatre and Music. The faculty member doing her audition for Theatre/Acting said that they don’t have a specific Musical Theatre program because they don’t have enough dance coursework at the school to qualify as an MT program. D was very interested in Pepperdine but the lack of dance was a deal-killer (which pained her greatly, as the school is very strong academically and the Acting and Music programs were strongly recommended). They do not offer specific courses in Ballet, Tap, or Jazz, but they do have an 8-10 credit sequence of dance/movement for Theatre. My d wanted a curriculum with at least 1-2 courses in dance every semester (especially Ballet) plus choreography classes. Without the dance issue, this would have been one of my d’s top choices.
The vocal program is “classically” oriented with required coursework in Italian, German, Latin, and French diction within the Theatre and Music curriculum.
As a footnote, my d recognizes that she is unlikely to ever be cast as a chorus dancer, but she wants to take as much dance and choreography as possible in order to build her overall skill set as a theatre teacher or director in the future, not to mention for exercise and conditioning. As she says, “I may not be a real dancer, but I don’t mind looking like one.”
@sopranomtmom Thank you, I forgot about that list! Thank you. Hopefully people can chime in on specific schools. I went to some of the schools forums but they are not very active with info.
@Notmath1 I will look at those programs thank you!
@EmsDad my D, rising senior, is a strong dancer so no dance may be a deal breaker for her too. Too bad bc Pepperdine looks amazing! But she could keep up her skills on the side or on breaks I .guess. Hmmm I can tell you from older D’s auditions the calls are always for singers who dance( meaning can move well) or dancers who sing, so your D would be a singer who dances.Lots of opportunities for her.Love her can do spirit!!
We are on east coast and mainly looking at east coast schools BUT my older D just threw a curve in. She is a pro dancer with agents on both coasts and now is planning on moving from NY to LA. So she asked sis to look at schools out there. I don’t know if younger D would go that far but I will research and present her with some.
Keep the info coming 
One of my d’s best friends was accepted to the UCLA Musical Theatre program (super talented - he was a Young Arts Finalist). He wanted an academically rigorous school with an MT program that afforded him the opportunity to take advantage of the scope and depth of coursework available at a top-tier university. Their program seems very similar to Northwestern in its approach (and, like Northwestern, UCLA has very high academic standards for admission):
@EmsDad Thank you. I will research UCLA. Now to get my D to say if she would go to the west coast before I immerse myself in those schools.Our east coast list for BA’s: Muhlenberg, American, JMU, Northwestern, Northeastern, Alabama, Catholic(BM) …
^^^Oh and I think adding Seton Hill bc they have a BA as well as BFA.
But for west coast just starting search…
In researching the CA state schools, be sure to ask about the ability to graduate within 4 years if that is important to you. With state budget issues, many schools are impacted and some students have difficulty getting the classes they need to graduate. This will vary by program and campus, but it is a good question to ask with regard to theatre/mt/vp majors. Also, ask how budget issues have affected the number of productions staged each year. We were told by one large state university that they were forced to go from 4 musicals annually to two, but I believe they’ve restored at least one of those since then. Encourage you to add those questions to your research. We’ve seen some amazing productions at our state schools here – there is definitely fabulous talent out there.
@MTTwinsinCA Wow I never would have thought to ask about budget! Oh my this is getting more and more confusing! Then I read student reviews of the colleges and that throws me off some too, I think I am analyzing too much!!
@Joyfulmama: always check the budget situation for any state school, and some private schools have budget AND bond rating issues, so it pays to check both. Some privates have junk or near-junk bond ratings, which can mean potentially significant problems on a short-term basis if they don’t keep up steady enrollment growth.
Google search for " budget issue problem" for any school that you are researching. Bond rating reports can be difficult to find, but they make very interesting reading if you can find one - what we call “scholarships” they call “tuition discounts” etc. The bond guys pull no punches.
@EmsDad oh boy more work to do! This is my 3rd child and none of them just sent apps…D #1 had to audition for dance, S had to show case to play baseball and now this D has to audition for MT .I always say couldnt one of you just send in an academic app and be done?? How easy that would be?? Ugh