Academics

The Theatre Arts major offers the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre degree. Some students also elect an emphasis in performance, directing, design, or theatre history, literature and criticism.

The program has three main overall areas of focus: professional preparation (preparing students to pursue a professional career in the industry/profession upon graduation), theatre as a liberal art (training future audiences as well as training artists in the areas of creativity, collaboration and communication), and theatre for social change (using one's art to lift others as you climb and improve the world, both micro and macro).

The undergraduate Theatre Arts degree serves as an excellent foundation for those students pursuing a career in theatre, film, and television, for those who wish to enrich their lives through non-career oriented study and performance, and for those pursuing M.F.A. and Ph.D. degrees in performance, design, history, and performance theory.

Students who are currently majoring in Theatre and wish to add a major or minor must contact the respective department for advising in that major.  Theatre faculty can only advise students in the Theatre curriculum.

Independent Studies

Required Theatre Arts Coursework

For majors: 54 units / 18 courses. A minimum grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in each course included in major courses.

For minors: See below

Full list of courses (not offered every semester)

Lower Division Requirements (24 units)

One course (total 3 semester hours):

• THEA 111 - Introduction to Theatre Performance (3 units)

Two courses including labs (total 6 semester hours) chosen from:

• THEA 120 Basic Stagecraft (3 units) + THEA 121 Stagecraft Lab (0 units)
• THEA 124 Costume Craft (3 units) + THEA 125 Costume Craft Lab (0 units)
• THEA 126 Lighting and Sound Craft (3 units) + THEA 127 Lighting and Sound Craft Lab (0 units)

Two courses (total 6 semester hours):

• THEA 240 Western Theatre History & Literature I (3 units)
• THEA 245 Western Theatre History & Literature II (3 units)

One course chosen from (total 3 semester hours):

• THEA 113 Voice and Speech (3 units)
• THEA 114 Movement for Actors (3-semester hours)
• THEA 210 Scene Study (3 units)

Two courses (total 6 semester hours):

• THEA 175 Script Analysis (3 units)
• THEA Elective (3 units)

Upper Division Requirements (30 units)

• THEA 370 - Directing for the Theatre (3 units)
• THEA 450 - Theatre Practicum: Crew (3 units)
• THEA 490 - Senior Thesis Project (3 units)
• 3 courses (9 units) in upper division Theatre History, Literature, and Criticism.
• Additionally, at least 12 units of upper-division THEA coursework are required, planned in consultation with departmental advisor. These units can come from any upper division class, including performance practicums.

The major is flexible enough to allow students, with careful planning and in consultation with their academic advisor, to double major with something else or to have one or more minors.

Electives at both the upper and lower level include such things as:

Students also can get credit for internships and for being cast in and performing in departmental productions.

Minor Requirements

**Please note we are not accepting new performance minors at this time.  Students interested in playwrighting, design, history, or technical theatre may apply.**

Theatre Minor Application Form

18 semester hours divided into 6 semester hours of lower division work, 12 semester hours of upper-division theatre offerings, and participation in departmental-sponsored events.

Minor programs must be planned in consultation with a departmental advisor. A minimum grade of C (2.0) must be obtained in each course included in the minor program.

The minor is a broad experience in Theatre. Acting is not the focus of the minor.