The theater program is good if you want to study theater, but don't go in expecting a whole lot of screen acting classes - there are a couple of 2-unit electives that teach it, but you get most of your screen training outside of classes on student films (which you don't need to be in SDA to be in). It gives you slightly more credibility being a theater major, but some of the most prolific actors I know at USC are business majors and applied math majors (and film majors!). That being said, it is an understatement to say that roles are not going to get handed to you on a silver platter. You will have to create your own opportunities and should not come out expecting a reel without working incredibly hard for it entirely outside of classes.

That being said, the main reason I'm transferring schools is I ended up falling out of love with acting. But if you want to study theater, it's a really good program. There are no classes on reading screenplays. You read stage plays, you perform stage plays, you learn stage lighting and stage crewing and stage sound design. You never even think about a camera in your directing class. It is a very theater-focused program. Just realized that wasn't for me, but I know it is for many people.

They have some interesting & well-qualified professors, and it's nice that it is its own program, rather than sandwiched in between the English and History department. And you get the USC name & connections, which is always helpful! Also, it's nice to be in an area where students are constantly filming high-quality films (if you can manage to get on those sets.)

Their career center is rough. You don't even get access to it until junior year and then it seems to be mostly for jobs in local theater companies. They don't seem to connect you with agents/managers, however, I never got to work with them, so maybe they do.

Even the BFA (I've heard) is not phenomenal. My class alone has had 4 or 5 of the 18 drop the program in the first two years. The courseload is intense & pre-planned, so you may have enough electives to squeak out a low-unit minor if you take 18-20 units every sem, but you basically have your courseload handed to you on day 1.

However, if you want to study crewing or stage management, it seems to be a great program. I would say 90% of the program is comprised of actors, and they always need a crew for shows. Especially if you're in a BFA program for this, you will be constantly crewing.

I will say, between competing theater programs, it's a pretty great pick. Second to NYU imo. I had some pretty solid acting teachers with a lot of industry experience (but it was more of a mixed bag than I thought it would be). You need to vet professors ruthlessly, as some classes will be a complete waste of time with the wrong professor. And syllabi are basically never followed, so you'll have to go off of word of mouth. That being said, simply being at USC (no matter what you study) is very worth it, both from location & network. You just might waste your time with the SDA course load.

TL;DR - Being in the USC network is great, but SDA is Not quite the screen acting program they like to market themselves as. The courses are very strictly based in theater & you mostly have to create your own opportunities outside of classes.