Can anyone please explain the difference between receiving a BA in Theatre Performance with a minor in MT as opposed to a BFA in MT? I know each school has different course requirements and gen eds based upon the college/conservatory type program. Please help! I have recently been admitted to schools with different types of programs. I would like a school that requires as little as math/science as possible, and mainly striving to receive a BFA in MT. Thanks.
It really depends on the school…some BFAs require lots of gen eds (like NYU, UMich, Emerson, etc.), and others require virtually none to very few (BoCo, Ithaca, etc.). So I don’t think any generalized statement will help you…you need to explore the requirements of each specific program…
Look at each school’s website and click “Curriculum” or “Course Sequence” under the BA in Theatre Performance and the minor in MT (for the schools that offer that) or the BFA in MT (for those schools). So you can compare the number and type of MT classes that each of the schools offer - it varies a LOT from school to school. (For example, Marymount Manhattan’s MT minor has just as many MT classes as many other schools’ MT major. But Boston University’s MT minor is just four MT classes.) So you really need to look at each school individually. Then Google the name of the school with the phrase “General Education Requirements” – that will give you the part of the school website that tells you how many gen eds they require. That, too, varies a lot from school to school.
Also investigate polices about getting credit for AP or IB courses. In some BA programs many/most general ed credits can be pre-completed with credit from work done in high school (both of our kids entered Northwestern with over 2 quarters of credit).
Look at curriculum flexibility. Some programs have a fixed progression of courses, while others (often BAs) offer wide flexibility to customize your education and/or adjust areas of study as your interests evolve over 4 years, which happens for a surpising number of MTs. Can you add extra dance classes if you need more focus there? Can you explore/develop an interest in directing? Can you add history classes if you discover an interest in dramaturgy? Can you choose to specialize in circus, TYA, improvisation, film, devising, etc.?
Also investigate types of courses offered for filling general education requirements. I know for our D (a die-hard dedicated lifelong performer) many of her most-loved college courses were completely unrelated to MT. Since she has graduated and performed professionally for a couple years, those outside interests have already made her life much richer and provide fun outlets in the weeks between contracts.
Also, it works both ways. There are some BFA programs with a lot of general ed, some with almost none. But there are also some BA programs that are structured like a BFA. The BA MT at University of Northern Colorado has almost no general ed, and the classes they do have are things like “History of Musical Theatre” and “Math for the Liberal Arts”.
^^ Exactly right! The letters on the degree tell you FAR less that the actual curriculum.
In my daughter’s MT BFA curriculum, the math requirement is fulfilled by the mandatory music theory course. I would imagine other programs do the same, so you can check on that.