Theatre Arts, BA

The Theatre Major emphasizes a strong foundation in acting, directing, writing, design and entertainment technologies. Theatre Arts students study the history and practices of theatre with a particular emphasis on the interrelationship between theatre and contemporary performance culture. Once students complete the required, well-rounded base of core courses, students can then choose to focus more specifically with the program’s elective specialization areas.

University Graduation Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, and GPA requirements as outlined in the Undergraduate Graduation Requirements section of the Policies and Procedures .

4-Year Program Roadmap

Students may find a roadmap for this program here. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Transfer Degrees (ADT) pathway roadmaps can be found here.

General Education/American Institution Requirements

Courses that meet General Education/American Institution requirements are noted with area designation for required area. For legend please see General Education Attributes .

University Requirements (41 units)

Core Lower Division General Education (27 units)

Of the 39 units required by the university, 12 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Courses that meet GE Areas A1, A2, A3 or B4 must be passed with a “C-” or better to meet the requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Note: Students who have completed the ADT Transfer degree (under SB 1440) for this major will have completed all lower division GE requirements and should follow the 60 unit guarantee roadmap. Meet with an advisor prior to registering for your first semester for the 60 unit roadmap or specific questions.

Upper Division General Education (6 units)

Of the 9 units required by the university, 3 units may be satisfied by coursework outlined below. Consult with major advisor for details.

American Institutions (6 units)

The 6 units of American Institutions (US123) coursework shown below also fulfills GE Areas D2 and D3. Other courses meet the American Institutions requirement, but may not include additional GE areas. The American Studies (AMS 1A /AMS 1B ) and Humanities Honors (HUM 1A /HUM 1B , HUM 2A /HUM 2B ) programs both offer larger integrated packages that meet this requirement. Consult with major advisor for details.

Complete One Sequence From:

Physical Education (2 units)

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement

At SJSU, students must pass both the SJSU Writing Skills Test (WST) and a 100W course. For additional information on the WST, please see http://testing.sjsu.edu/wst. Exceptions to the GWAR may be found at http://info.sjsu.edu/gwar.html.

A grade of C or better (C- not accepted) is required to meet graduation requirement.

Major Preparation (9 units)

TA 5 - Acting 3 units (C1)
TA 100W - Writing Workshop: Theatre Arts 3 units (Z)
TA 127 - Contemporary Theatre 3 units (V)

Major Requirements (51 units)

Core Courses (34 units)

TA 11 - Script Analysis 3 units
TA 17 - Intermediate Acting 3 units
TA 51A - Scenery and Props for the Performing Arts 1 units
TA 51B - Costume for the Performing Arts 1 units
TA 51C - Lighting & Sound for the Performing Arts 1 units
TA 55 - Intro to Design for Theatre 3 units
TA 116 - Directing 3 units
TA 120 - Theatre History 3 units
TA 128 - Scriptwriting 3 units
TA 170A - Acting and Directing for the Camera 3 units
TA 198 - Internship 3 units

Complete one course (3 units):

TA 153 - Costume Design for Performing Arts 3 units
TA 154 - Scenic Design for Performing Arts 3 units

Complete a combination of 4 units:

Complete a combination of 4 units from (at least 1 unit must be TA 191 ):

TA 117 - Practice in Acting or Directing 1 units
TA 191 - Activity Projects in Theatre Production 1-3 units

Major Electives (17 units)

TA 10 - Theatre Appreciation 3 units (C1)
TA 13 - Great Comedies for Theatre 3 units (C2)
TA 48 - Voice & Movement for the Actor 3 units (E)
TA 64 - Make-up for Performing Arts 3 units
TA 91 - Scenic Painting & Props 1-3 units (3 units required)
TA 103 - Musical Theatre 3 units
TA 110 - Advanced Acting 3 units
TA 112 - Rehearsal and Performance 3 units
TA 113 - Acting and Professional Career Prep 3 units
TA 117 - Practice in Acting or Directing 1 units
TA 121 - Topics in Performance History 3 units
TA 129 - Advanced Scriptwriting 3 units
TA 131 - Storytelling 3 units
TA 151 - Lighting Design for Performing Arts 3 units
TA 153 - Costume Design for Performing Arts 3 units
TA 154 - Scenic Design for Performing Arts 3 units
TA 158 - Model Making & Drafting Film & Theatre 3 units
TA 161 - Theatre Design Topics 3 units
TA 168 - Stage Management 3 units
TA 170B - Advanced Acting and Directing for the Camera 3 units
TA 180 - Individual Studies 1-3 units
TA 199H - Honors Program 2-3 units

About

Theatre Arts, BA

University Requirements (41 units)

Core Lower Division General Education (27 units)

Upper Division General Education (6 units)

American Institutions (6 units)

African American Studies (6 units)

Asian American Studies (6 units)

U.S. History and Government (6 units)

Chicana and Chicano Studies (6 units)