The Only M.F.A. Theater Programs in the US | CollegeXpress

M.F.A. in Acting

• California Institute of the Arts (Valencia, CA): CalArts’ M.F.A. Acting program is built for artists who want to push boundaries. The curriculum blends rigorous actor training with devised work, movement, voice, and experimental performance. Students collaborate across disciplines—film, animation, music, and visual arts—reflecting CalArts’ reputation for innovation. The program emphasizes developing an individual artistic voice while preparing actors for stage, screen, and hybrid performance environments. Its Los Angeles location provides access to industry professionals and performance opportunities that bridge experimental theater and entertainment.
• Carnegie Mellon University (Pittsburgh, PA): Carnegie Mellon’s M.F.A. Acting program is a conservatory known for discipline, craft, and professional readiness. Students train intensively in voice, movement, text, and character work, progressing through a structured curriculum that builds technical mastery. The program’s faculty includes working professionals, and students perform frequently in fully produced productions. Carnegie Mellon’s industry connections—especially its renowned Showcase—provide direct pathways to major theaters, casting offices, and agencies. Graduates are known for their precision, versatility, and strong classical foundation.
• New York University (New York, NY): The Master of Music in Vocal Performance program at NYU's Steinhardt school is designed to provide singers with a solid foundation of healthy vocal technique on which they can build a career in whatever area of voice performance they might choose to pursue. Course work includes classes in music theater history and repertoire as well as training in voice with leading vocalists from New York's professional community.
  Yes, connect me!
• University of California, Los Angeles (Los Angeles, CA): UCLA’s M.F.A. Acting program combines conservatory training with the resources of a major research university. Students receive comprehensive instruction in acting, voice, movement, and on‑camera technique, supported by faculty active in theater, film, and television. The program emphasizes classical and contemporary performance, preparing actors to work across mediums. UCLA’s Los Angeles location offers unparalleled access to the entertainment industry, guest artists, and interdisciplinary collaboration with filmmakers and writers. Source: UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television
• University of California, San Diego (La Jolla, CA): UCSD’s M.F.A. Acting program is nationally recognized for its rigor and its partnership with the Tony Award–winning La Jolla Playhouse. Students train intensively in voice, movement, text, and performance while appearing in numerous productions throughout the three‑year program. The professional residency at La Jolla Playhouse gives actors hands‑on experience with major directors and new works. Most students receive full funding, making the program highly competitive and a major pipeline to regional theater, classical companies, and new‑work development.
• Yale University (New Haven, CT): Yale’s M.F.A. Acting program is one of the most selective and respected conservatories in the world. Training centers on classical technique, text analysis, voice, movement, and deep character exploration. Students perform in multiple fully staged productions each year, including collaborations with the Yale Repertory Theatre, which serves as the program’s professional laboratory. Yale’s alumni network is extensive, and its reputation for artistic rigor makes graduates highly sought after in theater, film, and television.

M.F.A. in Musical Theater

• San Diego State University (San Diego, CA): The first in the country to create a program like this, SDSU started accepting students in 1982. While many San Diego theaters produce "Golden Age" traditional musicals, SDSU's Musical Theatre Program specializes in new and contemporary works, with occasional productions of rarely performed or newly revised musicals. Students can do internships with renowned theaters such as the La Jolla Playhouse as well as a number of excellent smaller companies, including San Diego Repertory Theatre, Lamb¿s Players Theatre, North Coast Repertory Theatre, Welk Resort Theatre, Cygnet Theatre, New Village Arts, and Diversionary Theatre.
• The Boston Conservatory (Boston, MA): The Boston Conservatory has had the reputation for many years of being an excellent place to get your musical theater training. Countless alumni, from Memphis' Chad Kimball to Smash's Katherine McPhee to Side Show's Erin Davie, and many current Broadway performers came from the Boston Conservatory. Recently they announced that they were starting an M.F.A. in musical theater program. They are only the second institution in the country to feature it.
  Yes, connect me!