B.F.A. in Theatre Arts
Create the art that you are passionate about by learning artistry, professionalism, and critical thinking.
There are two paths to study theatre at the University of Mississippi. Choose between the generalist Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts or the more specialized, competitive-entry, and pre-professional Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with emphasis areas in acting for stage and screen, design and production, and film production.
Key Benefits
The study of theatre and film encompasses all aspects of these industries, and students become skilled in creative expression, critical thinking, research, design, direction, and technology. The department, which is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre, integrates theatre and film to ensure students learn skills for work on stage and on screen, providing a well-rounded education in many facets of the entertainment industry.
Graduate Outcomes
A liberal arts education prepares graduates to deal with complexity and change. They gain key skills in communication, problem-solving, and working with diverse groups. Related careers in theatre and film include acting, make-up design, playwriting, costume design, education, screenwriting, direction, lighting design, advertising, public relations, radio/television, law, marketing, human resources, sound design, set design, stage management, film production/editing, and theatre management.
Experiences Offered
The Department of Theatre & Film offers great performance, management and design opportunities for all students, including freshmen, who can be cast in main-stage shows. The department produces 4-5 shows a year representing a variety of forms and eras with at least one production each season being a major musical. Theatre majors can also take advantage of yearly trips to New York to network with University of Mississippi alumni working in the field.
B.F.A. in Theatre Arts Faculty
Students enjoy a very low student to teacher ratio in the Department of Theatre and Film at the University of Mississippi. We have core faculty in acting; cinema production and cinema acting; costume, scenic, and sound design; dance; musical theatre; dance; and theatre history.
Course Requirements
A major in theatre arts for the B.F.A. degree requires 129 semester hours. Students are required to choose one of three emphases: acting for stage and screen, design and theatre production, or film production. See catalog for more details.
Admissions Requirements
Admission to the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts degree is by competitive entry. Students have a portfolio review for admission to the design emphasis prior to enrollment at the University of Mississippi. Students audition for admission to the acting for stage and screen emphasis prior to their first year. Students submit writing and film samples prior to March 1 before their freshman year for entry into the film production program.
Deer Run Media
Four of the five members of Deer Run Media, a film production company based in Chattanooga, TN, are graduates of UM and three received the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts. Each of their narrative films were shown in film festivals. The most successful is The Surface, which played at the European independent film festival in Paris, received an honorable mention for Best Short at the Queens Worlds Film Festival in New York, and received a special mention for cinematography at the Oxford Film Festival. Their short film, Tube, won best Mississippi film at the Oxford Film Festival. Their advertisement work has also received awards including: two gold Addys, one silver Addy, and "How" magazine design award. From left to right in the picture: Jordan Berger (2012), Houston Settle (2015), Lucas McKay, Gavin Fields (2015), and Daniel Russell (2014).
Why study film production at UM?
"Unlike other film programs across the country, Alan Arrivee has cultivated a really unique and advantageous cinema program for students and young filmmakers. What's so great about the department is the amount of agency a student receives in order to create and produce their own project. There are no unnecessary obstacles and no seniority privileges; any cinema student with a good idea and desire to create can check out a camera and begin making a film. In our four years with the department, we were each able to continuously involve ourselves in almost every aspect of the cinematic process. Students learn, of course, through lecture, but there is absolutely no shortage of opportunities at Ole Miss to learn through practice and experience."
Student Organizations
Join Alpha Psi Omega honor society, the student-run Ghostlight Repertory Theatre, or the Ole Miss Student Dance organization.