COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Performing Arts – Acting is a comprehensive 120-credit-hour degree program designed to prepare students for professional careers in theatre, film, television, voice acting, and related performance fields. The program requires completion of 86 credit hours within the major, a minimum overall GPA of 2.0, and a 2.5 departmental GPA for scholarship consideration. Students must earn a grade of C or higher in all required major courses and complete at least 45 upper-division credit hours. In addition to general education requirements, the curriculum provides extensive training in acting, voice, movement, performance, theatre history, directing, stagecraft, and professional development. Core courses introduce students to production processes, performing arts seminars, inclusion in the arts, collaborative community projects, professional practices, and a capstone project. Acting training progresses through multiple levels, covering foundations of acting, scene study, acting for the camera, period styles, improvisation, audition techniques, and career portfolio development. Students also study speech, diction, expressive voice, dialects, movement, contemporary dance, somatics, combat, and voice acting to develop versatile performance skills. A unique feature of the program is the Acting Repertoire sequence, completed over several semesters, providing continuous practical performance experience. Academic study is supported by theory courses in script analysis and theatre history, helping students understand dramatic literature and the historical development of theatre. The curriculum also includes stage makeup and six credit hours of design and technical theatre electives, allowing students to gain experience in areas such as stagecraft, lighting, costume design, stage management, scenic design, and theatre technology. Students complete additional open electives to reach the 120-credit-hour graduation requirement. Through a combination of rigorous classroom instruction, intensive performance training, production experience, technical theatre knowledge, research opportunities, and career preparation, the BFA in Performing Arts – Acting equips graduates with the artistic, technical, and professional skills necessary to succeed in the competitive entertainment and performing arts industries while providing a strong foundation for advanced study and creative leadership.