@artskids - That’s almost word-for-word how we advised our D when she told us she could graduate at the end of her Junior year. We urged her to stay and enjoy her senior year as the luxury that college is! As it turned out, she took two of three quarters off as she had contracts she really didn’t want to refuse, but she’ll still graduate with the rest of her class in June.
Life’s full of hard choices, and here’s hoping all of our kids are able to make choices they will enjoy!
As far as looking ahead - San Diego State and Boston Conservatory both offer MFAs in Musical Theater. Several other schools offer a Masters of Music in Musical Theater but their emphasis can vary so be sure and read about each degree thoroughly to make sure you are getting the training you want. MM schools include OCU, Penn State and NYU. I’m sure there are probably others as well. But far fewer than those offering undergraduate degrees. I think sometimes people do graduate study in MT if they did not major in it in college. And some pursue the degree for teaching purposes. But it is probably not necessary to pursue an MT masters if you get an undergrad degree in MT - unless you need the advanced degree to teach somewhere.
@vvnstar- thanks for the info- interesting 
While I think that BA/MFA is a “more” common path (since BFA has som much specialization already) I do know a variety of people who have done acting BFAs and MFAs. As I said earlier- we are just exploring the options. Another path is the option to study abroad. A semester at RADA is possible through Tisch (which could shift options yet again) or might be another path after an early graduation. Who knows! Such an exciting time in kids lives- and so many opportunities are out there - D (and her parents) want to make sure she gets to try as many of them as possible. @artskids was absolutely right to say you have your whole life to be a working adult- and only a short time to enjoy experiences - there are just multiple types of experiences my kid wants to try! Who knows if any or all of them will become reality- but it will be a fascinating journey. <:-P
I know I’m thinking about grad school. I’ve always known for myself that I wanted to go to grad school, so for me it’s just a matter of what degree I want and when I want to attend (as well as how I’m going to pay for it!). I think I definitely want a few years between my undergrad and any advanced degree at the very least. But down the line, I’m thinking about graduate programs specifically geared towards socially conscious theatre/theatre as activism, programs where I would still be able to practice (I wear a lot of hats, so I want a program where I can perform, direct, dramaturg, and create my own work–because ultimately I want to change the world, and that requires action, not just research!) while still getting a very traditional “academic” grad school experience. Programs that are on my radar are those like the University of Minnesota’s MA/Ph.D in Theatre Historiography, Sarah Lawrence’s MFA program in Theatre with their training program for Theatre Outreach, USC’s MA in Applied Theatre Arts, and UT-Austin’s program in Performance as Public Practice, which exists as an MA, a MFA, and a Ph.D. I bring this up because I think a lot of the time, theatre students considering graduate school forget that options exist beyond the traditional MFA in Acting or Directing.
What interesting programs @CanadianMTgirl - so many fascinating paths!
I’m also tentatively thinking about an MFA far in the future! Probably in arts management/producing. I know there are programs at Columbia and Yale (I’m actually a legacy at both) and a few other places but I haven’t looked into it fully. I imagine I would pound the pavement for a few years before deciding if I want another degree.
@CanadianMTgirl wow great information and interesting programs! Thanks & good luck!!