COURSE CURRICULUM

The Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Musical Theatre at Wichita State University requires a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation, an overall GPA of at least 2.0, and a grade of C or better in all major courses, including theatre and dance electives. The program is an intensive professional training degree that combines theatre, music, and dance into a comprehensive curriculum designed to prepare students for careers in musical theatre and the performing arts industry. Students complete 86 credit hours within the major in addition to general education requirements. The curriculum includes core performing arts courses that focus on production experience, inclusion in the arts, professional development, community engagement, and a capstone project that showcases students’ accumulated skills and knowledge. Theatre coursework develops strong acting and performance abilities through classes in voice and movement, script analysis, stage makeup, acting techniques, musical theatre performance, theatre history, audition repertoire preparation, scene study, and acting for the camera. Students progressively refine their acting, storytelling, and audition skills while gaining a deep understanding of theatrical performance. Dance training is a major component of the degree and includes extensive coursework in ballet, jazz and Broadway styles, tap, hip-hop, and contemporary dance techniques, ensuring graduates possess the versatility required in professional musical theatre productions. Music studies focus primarily on vocal performance, with multiple semesters of private voice instruction, musicianship, aural skills, piano proficiency, and voice coaching. This combination of acting, singing, and dance training provides students with the well-rounded “triple threat” skill set highly valued in the entertainment industry. Wichita State’s strong commitment to applied learning allows students to gain substantial real-world experience through productions, performances, rehearsals, and collaborative projects throughout their studies. Graduates are prepared for careers as musical theatre performers, stage actors, singers, dancers, cruise ship entertainers, theme park performers, voice artists, and other performing arts professionals. The program also provides excellent preparation for graduate study in theatre, musical theatre, acting, directing, performance studies, and related disciplines. Through personalized instruction from experienced faculty, extensive stage experience, and professional-level training, the BFA in Musical Theatre equips students with the artistic, technical, and professional skills needed to succeed in the highly competitive world of live performance and entertainment.