Historically Black Colleges and Universities have shaped American theatre for over a century. From Howard University’s BFA program in the nation’s capital to Dillard University’s nearly 90-year-old theatre tradition in New Orleans, HBCUs offer something no other institutions can: performing arts training rooted in the Black theatrical tradition, with a community and cultural context that larger programs simply can’t replicate.
The alumni list speaks for itself. Anika Noni Rose (Tony Award winner, voice of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog) trained at Florida A&M. Samuel L. Jackson graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in drama. Graduates of Alabama State’s dance program have performed in The Lion King on Broadway, at the Super Bowl halftime show, and at Coachella.
Yet finding comprehensive information about HBCU theatre programs is surprisingly difficult. Most college guides either skip them entirely or list one or two without context. This guide covers every HBCU in our database with a performing arts program - 23 schools offering 32 programs across acting, musical theatre, dance, vocal performance, design, and more.
BFA Programs: Conservatory-Level Training at HBCUs
BFA programs offer the most intensive, focused training. Among HBCUs, these are rare — most HBCU theatre departments offer BA degrees. The schools below stand out for offering the BFA-level conservatory model, which typically means smaller cohorts, more studio hours, and a curriculum weighted heavily toward performance or production coursework.
Howard University
Howard’s BFA in Theatre Arts (with concentrations in musical theatre, theatre technology and more) is arguably the most prestigious theatre program at any HBCU. Located in Washington, D.C., the program requires a prescreen audition - the only HBCU theatre program on this list that does. Howard’s Department of Theatre Arts, part of the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, has produced generations of working actors, directors, and designers.
Morgan State University
Morgan State is one of the very few HBCUs in the country to offer a BFA in Musical Theatre. The program provides conservatory-style triple-threat training in acting, voice, and dance (ballet, jazz, modern, tap), with masterclasses led by Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award–winning artists. Performances take place in the state-of-the-art Murphy Fine Arts Center.
North Carolina A&T State University
NC A&T offers two BFA tracks: Acting and Theatre Design & Technology. The theatre program has been NAST accredited since 1981, making it one of the oldest accredited theatre programs among HBCUs. Acting students perform in the Richard B. Harrison Players and compete at SETC and URTA. Design & tech students rotate through every production role from master electrician to stage manager.
Alabama State University
Alabama State offers a BFA in Dance - one of only a handful of HBCUs with a BFA-level dance degree. Training covers ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop, with faculty connected to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the American Dance Festival. Graduates have performed in The Lion King on Broadway, The Color Purple, at the Super Bowl halftime show, and at Coachella.
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union offers a BFA in Theatre — one of the few HBCUs with a BFA-level theatre degree that does not require an audition for admission. The curriculum covers performance, design, and technical theatre, with dedicated coursework in African American Theatre. Students perform with the University Players across all four years and complete a Senior Capstone project and internship. At roughly $13,000 average net price with a 98% acceptance rate, it's one of the most accessible BFA programs on this list.
Savannah State University
Savannah State, Georgia's oldest public HBCU (founded 1890), offers a BFA in Visual & Performing Arts that blends theatre, dance, and music into one interdisciplinary concentration. A Georgia Film Academy partnership gives students direct pathways into Georgia's booming entertainment industry. Located on a 201-acre campus 15 minutes from downtown Savannah, the program has a remarkably low average net price of roughly $8,000.
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BA and BS Programs with Strong Performance Training
Most HBCU theatre programs offer BA or BS degrees, which provide more flexibility to double major or pursue a minor alongside theatre training. Don’t mistake the degree type for a lack of rigor — several of these programs have deep histories, dedicated performance facilities, and alumni working on Broadway and in film and television.
Florida A&M University
FAMU offers both a BA in Theatre (performance focus) and a BS in Theatre (design, technical theatre, and management tracks). The program is home to the FAMU Essential Theatre, a pre-professional training company, and performs in the 566-seat Charles Winter Wood Theatre. Tony Award winner Anika Noni Rose is the program’s most celebrated alumna.
Spelman College
Spelman’s BA in Theatre and Performance takes an interdisciplinary approach, blending text, film, live performance, and site-specific work. The program is rooted in African American cultural forms and international theatre approaches. Training takes place in the LaTanya Richardson Jackson and Samuel L. Jackson Performing Arts Center. Spelman also offers a BA in Dance Performance and Choreography (see dance section below).
Morehouse College
Morehouse’s BA in Theatre and Performance is offered jointly with Spelman College through the Atlanta University Center consortium. The program blends performance training with critical analysis of social activism and politics. Samuel L. Jackson graduated from Morehouse with a BA in Drama in 1972 and is the program’s most celebrated alumnus.
Hampton University
Alumnus Ruth E. Carter, a two-time Academy Award–winning costume designer known for films like Black Panther, Malcolm X, and Selma, made history as the first African American to win for Costume Design and the first Black woman to win multiple Oscars. At Hampton University, students train with the professional Hampton University Repertory Theatre, perform with the Hampton Players, and work on the only rotating stage in the Hampton Roads area, while engaging with organizations like SETC, NADSA, and USITT.
Dillard University
Dillard’s theatre program is one of the oldest HBCU degree-granting theatre programs in the country, approaching its 90th season. Located in New Orleans, the program offers two concentrations - Theatre Performance and Theatre Technology - with a curriculum committed to the aesthetics of Black theatre.
Clark Atlanta University
Clark Atlanta has offered drama courses since 1895, making it one of the earliest HBCUs to include theatre in its curriculum. The BA in Theatre Arts is housed in a liberal arts setting with faculty expertise spanning acting, directing, choreography, playwriting, and design. Recent graduates have been accepted to graduate programs at Yale and Emory. As part of the Atlanta University Center, students can cross-register with Spelman and Morehouse.
Morgan State University
In addition to its BFA in Musical Theatre, Morgan State offers a BA in Theatre Arts with a comprehensive 69-credit curriculum covering acting, design, directing, and stage management. The program hosts guest artist talks and maintains an active Alpha Psi Omega chapter. Performances take place in the Turpin-Lamb Theatre.
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State’s award-winning NSU Theatre Company produces a four-show season of plays and musicals. The BA in Drama and Theatre offers two tracks: Performance and Design & Technology. Training takes place in a newly built mainstage theater and black box in G. W. C. Brown Memorial Hall. At roughly $13,000 average net price, it’s one of the most affordable options on this list.
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More HBCU Theatre Programs Worth Knowing
These programs may be smaller or less widely known, but each offers genuine theatre training, production opportunities, and a community of artists. For students who want an HBCU experience with meaningful theatre involvement, these deserve a closer look.
Bowie State University
Bowie State offers a BS in Theatre Arts with concentrations in Acting/Directing and Dance Movement, plus minor options in both Theatre Arts and Dance. The Fine and Performing Arts Center includes the 374-seat Dionne Warwick Theater, a reconfigurable black box theatre, and a 90-seat movement studio. Located near both D.C. and Baltimore, students have access to two major professional theatre markets.
Texas Southern University
Texas Southern’s theatre program, founded in 1974, produces four or more shows per year in the 90-seat Ollington Smith Playhouse and Sawyer Auditorium. The curriculum includes dedicated coursework in African American Theatre and Modern Drama. Located in Houston, students are near one of the country’s largest and most diverse theatre scenes.
Grambling State University
Grambling State’s theatre department has been producing shows since 1938 and earned NAST accreditation in 1986. The BA in Theatre provides comprehensive training in acting, directing, playwriting, scenic design, lighting, and costumes, with professionally experienced faculty guiding students through all areas of production.
Jackson State University
Jackson State’s BA in Theatre Arts emphasizes hands-on production experience across acting, directing, scenic design, costuming, and playwriting. The department is housed in the Rose E. McCoy Auditorium. With a 91% acceptance rate, it’s one of the more accessible HBCU theatre programs.
Bethune-Cookman University
Bethune-Cookman’s theatre training is part of a BA in Communication Studies within the Dr. La-Doris McClaney School of Performing Arts and Communication. Students perform through the Mary McLeod Bethune Players (mandatory for majors) and the Orchesis Dance Ensemble, which has been running for over 28 years. The curriculum includes dedicated courses in Black American Drama.
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University in Durham offers a BA in Theatre with five concentrations: Performance, General Theatre, Technical Theatre, Theatre Education, and Dance Education. That breadth of specialization is unusual for an HBCU theatre department. The program is listed among the top ten theatre schools at an HBCU, and at roughly $15,000 average net price with an 87% acceptance rate, it’s an accessible option in North Carolina.
Alabama State University
Alongside its BFA in Dance, Alabama State offers a BA in Theatre Arts with three specialization areas: performance, technical, and theatre generalist. The program is NAST accredited and reports that 85% of graduates work in theatre-related fields. The department has combined faculty experience of over 80 years.
St. Philip's College
St. Philip's College in San Antonio is the only HBCU that is also a Hispanic-Serving Institution, offering an AA in Drama as a pre-major/transfer pathway. The Watson Fine Arts Center houses a 604-seat proscenium theatre with a new H-E-B Black Box Theatre under construction. Faculty include MFA-trained actors from Cornell and UT Austin. At roughly $4,000 average net price with open enrollment, it's the most affordable entry point on this entire list.
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HBCU Dance Programs
Four HBCUs in our database offer dedicated dance degrees. These programs center Black dance traditions alongside classical and contemporary technique, offering a training environment you won’t find at most predominantly white institutions.
Alabama State University
Alabama State’s BFA in Dance is selective with small class sizes. The program covers ballet, modern, jazz, tap, and hip hop, with courses on the African diaspora adding cultural depth. Faculty connections include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Dance Theatre of Harlem.
Spelman College
Spelman’s BA in Dance Performance and Choreography centers the choreographic process through Black feminist theories and contemporary dance. Students perform with the Spelman Dance Theatre company. Notable alumna Tendayi Kuumba won the Chita Rivera Outstanding Female Dancer on Broadway award and appeared in David Byrne’s American Utopia on HBO.
Morehouse College
Morehouse’s BA in Dance Performance and Choreography is offered jointly with Spelman through the Atlanta University Center consortium. The curriculum covers contemporary modern, ballet, jazz, African dance, hip hop, and improvisation, with theory coursework on the Black presence in American dance history.
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith's BA in Dance in Charlotte, NC covers classical and contemporary concert dance forms including European-derived and African Diaspora traditions, with movement classes in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, and electives in Tap, Pointe, and Hip-Hop. Students perform with the JCSU Repertory Dance Company, a traveling ensemble that performs locally and out of state. An audition is required for admission.
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HBCU Music and Vocal Programs
Several HBCUs offer music and vocal performance degrees that are highly relevant for musical theatre students. These programs provide rigorous vocal training, diction coursework, and performance opportunities that build the singing foundation essential for the stage.
Oakwood University
Oakwood University, a Seventh-day Adventist HBCU in Huntsville, Alabama, offers two vocal programs: a BA in Music (with a Voice concentration) and a BM in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy. The BM is designed for students pursuing graduate school, conservatory training, or teaching studio voice, with diction courses in Italian, French, and German. Oakwood's Aeolians, a nationally recognized select choral ensemble of 40–55 members, is a standout ensemble. Both programs require an audition.
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana — the only Catholic HBCU in the United States — offers two programs in New Orleans: a BA in Performance Studies (blending creative practice with critical theory) and a NASM-accredited BM in Vocal Performance. Vocal performance students participate in Opera Workshop and complete junior and senior recitals, drawing on a 90+ year legacy of opera in New Orleans. The BM requires an audition; the BA does not.
Johnson C. Smith University
Johnson C. Smith also offers a BA in Music with a Voice concentration in Charlotte, NC. The university was one of the first in the country to use Reason music production software in the classroom. Students have interned with The Neptunes (Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo), and the International Institution of Sound marching band has appeared at Honda Battle of the Bands. No audition required.
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The Atlanta University Center Advantage
Three HBCUs on this list — Spelman College, Morehouse College, and Clark Atlanta University — are part of the Atlanta University Center (AUC), the world’s largest consortium of HBCUs. Students at any AUC institution can cross-register for courses at the others, which means a Morehouse student can take acting classes at Clark Atlanta, or a Clark Atlanta student can audition for Spelman Dance Theatre productions.
This consortium model effectively gives AUC students access to three theatre departments, multiple performance venues, and a wider pool of collaborators and mentors. Atlanta’s booming film and TV industry (often called “the Hollywood of the South”) adds professional opportunity on top of the academic resources.
Most Affordable HBCU Theatre Programs
Cost is a real factor. Here are the HBCU theatre programs where the average net price (what students typically pay after financial aid) falls under $16,000 per year. Public HBCUs are especially affordable for in-state students.
St. Philip's College
St. Philip's College's AA in Drama costs roughly $4,000 average net price with open enrollment — far and away the most affordable option on this list. It's a pre-major/transfer pathway with professional-quality facilities and faculty.
Savannah State University
Savannah State's BFA in Visual & Performing Arts comes in at roughly $8,000 average net price — the most affordable BFA-level program on this list, with a Georgia Film Academy partnership.
North Carolina A&T State University
At roughly $11,000 average net price, NC A&T offers two BFA degrees at a remarkable value. In-state North Carolina students pay even less.
Norfolk State University
Norfolk State's BA in Drama and Theatre comes in at roughly $13,000 average net price, with an award-winning theatre company and small class sizes.
Virginia Union University
Virginia Union's BFA in Theatre is available at roughly $13,000 average net price with a 98% acceptance rate — one of the most accessible BFA programs anywhere.
Alabama State University
Both the BA in Theatre Arts and the BFA in Dance are available at roughly $14,000 average net price, with a 96% school acceptance rate.
Bethune-Cookman University
At roughly $15,000 average net price with a 100% acceptance rate, Bethune-Cookman is one of the most accessible options on this list.
Morgan State University
Morgan State's BFA in Musical Theatre and BA in Theatre Arts both come in at roughly $15,000 average net price. That's remarkable value for the only HBCU BFA Musical Theatre program we track.
Florida A&M University
FAMU's BA and BS in Theatre are available at roughly $16,000 average net price, at a school that produced a Tony Award winner.
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How to Choose an HBCU Theatre Program
Choosing between these programs comes down to a few key questions:
- Do you want BFA-level intensity? Howard, Morgan State, NC A&T, Alabama State (dance), Virginia Union, and Savannah State offer BFA programs with more structured, conservatory-style training. BA programs offer more flexibility to explore other interests alongside theatre.
- What’s your focus? If musical theatre is your goal, Morgan State’s BFA in MT is unique among HBCUs. For design and tech, NC A&T offers a dedicated BFA. For dance, Alabama State and Spelman stand out. For vocal performance, Oakwood and Xavier offer dedicated programs.
- Does location matter for your career? Schools in Atlanta (Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta), D.C. (Howard), and Baltimore (Morgan State) put you near major professional theatre and film markets. Houston (Texas Southern) and New Orleans (Dillard) offer vibrant cultural scenes.
- What can you afford? Public HBCUs like St. Philip's ($4K), Savannah State ($8K), NC A&T ($11K), Norfolk State ($13K), and Alabama State ($14K) are significantly more affordable than private institutions like Howard ($48K) or Spelman ($37K).
- Is consortium access important? The Atlanta University Center (Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta) gives you access to three departments. Bowie State’s proximity to D.C. and Baltimore opens two professional markets.
About This Guide
This guide covers every HBCU in the stageready database that offers a theatre, musical theatre, dance, or vocal performance program. We track 23 HBCUs with 32 performing arts programs. School data (acceptance rates, net prices, tuition) comes from federal sources. Program details (selectiveness, class size, prescreen requirements, highlights) are researched from each school’s official department pages.
We’re actively expanding our HBCU coverage. Know of an HBCU theatre program we’re missing? Let us know.
Want to explore all of these schools and filter by program type, prescreen status, and more? Browse all programs on stageready.
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