Theatre Arts, B.F.A.
Receive extensive training in the crafts of performance and production.
“There are many opportunities to create and perform. We are a very close-knit community; it’s like going to school with a family supporting you.”
Nicole Fava (B.F.A. Theatre Arts ‘19)
Freelance Actor, NYC
About the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts
The Department of Theatre and Film in the College of Liberal Arts offers the B.F.A. in Theatre Arts. Students create art that they are passionate about, learn artistry, professionalism, and critical thinking. They discover their place in our society through culturally relevant works in the department and beyond.
The department offers great performance, management, and design opportunities for all students, including freshmen, who can be cast in and work on mainstage shows. The integration of theatre and film in our department ensures that students in acting and design have opportunities to learn skills for work on stage and film. This prepares students with a diverse resume of experiences and a well-rounded education in the entertainment industry.
Emphases
- Acting for Stage and Screen. Students hone fundamental skills in acting, voice, and movement through a concentrated core of classes. Performance classes include offerings in stage combat, dance, dialects, musical theatre, Shakespeare, dramatic realism, sit-coms, and more.
- Design and Theatre Production. Students receive the hands-on and practical experience that allows them to excel in a chosen specialization: costume, scenic, lighting or sound design.
Admission
The B.F.A. in Theatre Arts degree has a competitive application process that is separate from the admission to the university. Students who wish to enroll in the Acting for Stage and Screen emphasis must successfully complete an audition prior to enrollment at UM. Students interested in Design and Theatre Production may opt to pursue the B.F.A. at any time.
B.F.A. vs B.A.
The Department of Theatre and Film offers two undergraduate degree options to study theatre arts: the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts and the Bachelor of Art in Theatre Arts.
- The B.F.A. in Theatre Arts degree is a competitive-entry, small cohort program that provides focused, hands-on training in the two emphasis areas. It requires many more hours of theatre courses, and is designed for pre-professionals in the entertainment areas.
- The B.A. in Theatre Arts focuses on critical thinking, production, and scholarship. It has a wider and deeper general education foundation and requires a minor field of study (or double major), allowing for combination of interests such as business, education, or one of the many programs in the College of Liberal Arts.
The Value of a Theatre Arts Degree
Students become skilled in creative expression, critical thinking, research, design, direction, and technology. The department is accredited by National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST), which ensures a high quality education. Whether you are an artist, an entrepreneur, a scholar, or a producer, we will increase your potential and help you reach the goals you set for your life and work.
Related careers in theatre and film include acting, make-up design, playwriting, costume design, sound design, set design, stage management, theatre management, education, screenwriing, direction, lighting design, advertising, public relations, radio/television, law, marketing, human resources, and more.
On this Page…
Program Information
Degree
B.F.A. in Theatre Arts
Emphases
Acting for Stage and Screen ;
Design and Theatre Production
Required Credit Hours
129
Program Type
Major
Minor
Program Location
School
Duration
4 Years
Degree Requirements
Find out about credit hour and course requirements from the 2025-26 academic catalog.
Students earning the B.F.A. in Theatre Arts degree have a common set of 33-35 credit hours of general education. The specific courses taken to complete the categories of general education may differ between majors.
Categories of General Education:
- First Year Writing I, II
- English Literature Survey
- History
- Mathematics
- Social Sciences
- Natural Sciences
To see the details for these general education requirements, visit the UM online catalog or the degree sheet attached at the top of this webpage.
Students in the B.F.A. in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Acting for Stage and Screen complete 82 credit hours. A grade of C or higher is required on all theatre courses applied toward the B.F.A. degree.
13 Departmental Core Courses (31 credit hours):
- Thea 120: Intro to Theatre, Film, and Dance
- Thea 121: Creative Thinking
- Thea 150: Intro to Design for Theatre & Film
- Thea 226: Script Analysis
- Thea 289, 239: Technology Lab I, II
- Thea 338, 339: Technology Lab III, IV
- One of the following:
- Thea 280: Light Design I
- Thea 281: Scenic Design I
- Thea 282: Costume Design I
- Three of the following:
- Thea 321: Theatre History I
- Thea 322: Theatre History II
- Thea 323: Film and Aristotle
- Thea 326: Dramatic Literature I
- Thea 327: Dramatic Literature II
- Thea 328: Diverse Voices in American Dramatic Literature
- Thea 329: Queer Playwriting and American Culture
- Thea 421: Musical Theatre History and Literature I
- Thea 422: Musical Theatre History Literature II
- Thea 499: Senior Seminar
13 Performance Core Courses (35 credit hours):
- Danc 100: Dance Fundamentals
- Thea 110: Intro to Acting
- Thea 111: Realism for Stage and Screen
- Thea 114: Movement for the Actor I
- Thea 163: Intro to Musical Theatre Performance
- Thea 210: Scene Work for Stage and Screen
- Thea 212: Voice for the Actor I
- Thea 268: Speech for the Actor
- Thea 304: Acting Shakespeare
- Thea 307: Advanced Acting for the Screen
- Thea 310: Acting Styles
- Thea 316: Business of Acting and Auditioning
- Thea 410: Acting Process and Integration
Performance Elective Courses (16 credit hours):
- Danc 151: Ballet I
- Danc 152: Contemporary Dance I
- Danc 153: Jazz Dance I
- Danc 154: Tap Dance I
- Danc 215: Dance Improvisation
- Danc 220: Partner Dance
- Danc 251: Ballet II
- Danc 252: Contemporary Dance II
- Danc 253: Jazz II
- Danc 254: Tap II
- Danc 255: Theatre Dance I
- Danc 351: Ballet III
- Danc 352: Contemporary Dance III
- Danc 353: Jazz III
- Danc 354: Tap III
- Danc 355: Theatre Dance II
- Thea 207: Intro to Acting for Screen
- Thea 215: Improvisation
- Thea 216: Voice-Over Acting
- Thea 221: Auditioning for Film and Television
- Thea 264: Musical Theatre Voice Studies I
- Thea 265: Music Fundamentals for Musical Theatre
- Thea 295: Theatre Practicum I
- Thea 308: Comedic Screen Acting
- Thea 309: Commercial Acting Technique
- Thea 311: Classic Comedy Styles
- Thea 312: Voice for the Actor II
- Thea 314: Movement for the Actor II
- Thea 317: Topics in Acting Styles
- Thea 324. Commedia dell Arte
- Thea 330: Stage Combat I
- Thea 331: Stage Combat II
- Thea 332: Period Movement and Manners
- Thea 333: Devised Theatre
- Thea 334: The Practice of Clown
- Thea 335: The Alexander Technique
- Thea 337: Physical Theatre Styles
- Thea 342: Unarmed Stage Combat
- Thea 343: Single Sword Stage Combat
- Thea 344: Broadsword Stage Combat
- Thea 345: Rapier & Dagger Stage Combat
- Thea 346: Knife Stage Combat
- Thea 347: Quarterstaff Stage Combat
- Thea 348: Sword & Shield Stage Combat
- Thea 349: Smallsword Stage Combat
- Thea 364: Musical Theatre Voice Studies II
- Thea 368: Dialects for Stage and Screen
- Thea 395: Theatre Practicum II
- Thea 411: Classic Dramatic Styles
- Thea 412: Voice for the Actor III
- Thea 464: Musical Theatre Voice Studies III
- Thea 465: Musical Theatre Performance I
- Thea 466: Musical Theatre Performance II
- Thea 495: Theatre Practicum III
Students in the B.F.A. in Theatre Arts with an emphasis in Design and Theatre Production complete 71 credit hours. A grade of C or higher is required on all theatre courses applied toward the B.F.A. degree.
3 Department Requirements courses (9 credit hours):
- Thea 120: Intro to Theatre, Film, and Dance
- Thea 121: Creative Thinking
- Thea 499: Senior Seminar
18 Design and Technology courses (47 credit hours):
- Thea 150: Intro to Design for Theatre & Film
- Thea 171: Intro to Theatre, Film, and Dance
- 7 courses of Production Studies I-VII
- Thea 278: Rendering for the Theatre II
- Thea 280: Lighting Design I
- Thea 281: Scenic Design I
- Thea 282: Costume Design I
- One of the following:
- Thea 276: Fundamentals of Computer-Aided Design
- Art 201: Digital Imaging
- Thea 287: The Business of Theatrical Design
- Two of the following:
- Thea 370: Introduction to Scenic Design II
- Thea 372: Introduction to Lighting Design II
- Thea 375: Introduction to Costume Design II
- One of the following:
- Thea 470: Scenic Design III
- Thea 471: Lighting Design III
- Thea 474: Costume Design III
Four Theatre History and Literature (12 credit hours):
- Thea 226: Script Analysis
- Thea 321: Theatre History I
- Thea 327: Dramatic Literature II
- One of the following:
- Thea 224: Intro to the History of Dress
- Thea 225: Intro to the History of Décor
Design and Technology Electives/Electives (5 credit hours):
See all theatre courses in the catalog.
One of the following (3 credit hours):
- AH 201: Art History I
- AH 202: Art History II
A minor in theatre arts consists of 18 hours of theatre courses with at least 6 hours at the 300 level or higher. A maximum of 4 hours of DANC may be applied to the minor and must be chosen from technique courses (Danc 100, 151-154, 215, 251-255, 295, 351-355, 395, 451-454). Students must achieve a grade of C or higher in all course work counted for the minor in Theatre.
Department Opportunity
Video: Get to Know the Department of Theatre & Film
Hear firsthand from students, faculty, and staff about the Theatre Arts program.
Welcome to the College of Liberal Arts
As Coordinator of Student Recruitment for the College of Liberal Arts, I work with students, and their parents, who are interested in attending UM for their undergraduate degrees. I coordinate personalized visits to our departments, answer questions about the majors and programs in the CLA and handle all recruitment communications from the CLA. Please feel free to send me any questions you may have. It is my job to make sure you have everything you need to make an informed decision on where to spend your college career, and I hope it will be with the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Mississippi!
Annabelle Harris
Admissions Counselor
Future CLA Students
College of Liberal Arts Undergraduate Students
We invite future undergraduates to learn about the College of Liberal Arts, the value of the liberal arts education, our programs, career opportunities, and resources to help you succeed. You can also request a personalized degree sheet.
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