<p>If I want to major in Performing Arts or Advertising and Mass Media, does that mean I can only major in it, and not get a degree. Because everytime I tell my parents I want to major in Performing Arts they say that I can’t get a degree in it. Like when you graduate college what do you receive, or do you get a degree when you go graduate school??? Help me, I am confused.</p>
<p>Yeah I think you can get a degree in it. Not at most schools maybe, but I believe Emerson offers degrees in both of those and probably NYU does too, as well as many other places.</p>
<p>Try Syracuse University - they do have an undergraduate degree in advertising and you can fulfill the “performing arts” in their theater school.</p>
<p>Of course you can earn degrees in those areas - many performance degrees require up to 2/3 or 3/4 of your available courseload, so getting a double major or a separate minor might be tough, by a BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) or B.Mus (Bachelor of Music) is just as much a college degree as a B.A. or B.S.</p>
<p>Boston University offers BFA degrees in the performing arts (music, theatre, visual arts) as well as a bachelors degree in communications that includes advertising as one of the majors.</p>
<p>Columbia 4life,</p>
<p>Exactly what do you mean when you say you want to earn a degree in performing arts? Do you want to sample courses in music, theatre, dance, and perhaps visual art? Or do you actually want to earn a degree in one of those areas? Maybe your parents are confused, as am I, because students generally narrow their focus and choose to major in specific arts areas, such as piano performance or acting, not the generic “performing arts”. Many schools offer degrees in dance, theatre, and music. Generally, the best programs require an audition. If what you want to do is take a few courses in theatre, a music appreciation class, and some dance classes you can do that at many colleges by taking the courses as electives. There are colleges that offer programs in arts management, Oklahoma City University is an example. Maybe that would be up your alley. If you can be more specific about what you are looking for, I and other posters will be better able to help you.</p>
<p>Another quick suggestion - Since you live in Ohio, take a look at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music (CCM). They offer a BFA in Electronic Media. It is designed for students interested in advertising, audio or video production, radio, television, multimedia, broadcast journalism, or programming and sales. The degree includes several arts electives including courses such as music appreciation, dance history, directing, art history, and theatre history. If you are interested in taking a look at that program, go to <a href=“http://www.ccm.uc.edu%5B/url%5D”>www.ccm.uc.edu</a>.</p>
<p>No. I want to major in acting but I probably end up majoring in communcation Advertising/Public relations…But does that mean I get a degree at the end of college.?or I can I double major, and is that more hard work??Also, What is a minor? I dont want to stay in ohio I want to try an get into NYU, Florida State, Ithaca College, Carneige Mellon, Johns Hopkins, Brown, Wagner College, and of course Columbia. But does anybody know colleges with good communcation Advertising/Public Relations program and a good acting program… Basically my question is what my parents always tell, Is it bad to get a degree in Acting, is it not highly looked at or something, like oh she got a degree in acting…</p>
<p>Columbia4life,</p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying. If you choose to major in acting, you will earn either a BA in theatre or a BFA in acting. For an excellent explanation of the difference between the BFA and the BA go to <a href=“Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos”>Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos;
<p>From the Columbia website:</p>
<p>For a major in drama and theatre arts, a student is required to complete 39 points from the categories described below. </p>
<p>Drama and dramatic theory (3 points): ENTA W3702 , or THTR BC3166 . </p>
<p>Theatre history (6 points): Two courses chosen from the following: THTR BC3150 , BC3151 , or CLEN W4701 , W4702 , W4703 .</p>
<p>Acting (3 points): One course chosen from the following: THTR BC3004 , BC3005 . </p>
<p>World theatre (3 points): THTR BC3001 . </p>
<p>Directing (3 points): THTR BC3201 . </p>
<p>Visual elements in the theatre (3 points): One course chosen from the following: THTR BC3134 , BC3135 , BC3136 . </p>
<p>Dramatic literature (9 points): Three courses, one of which must focus on Shakespeare, will be chosen in consultation with the director of undergraduate studies. </p>
<p>Specialization (6 points): In consultation with the director of undergraduate studies, 6 points must be in one selected area, e.g., directing, dramatic literature and criticism, acting, theoretical inquiry, playwriting, historical investigation, set design, or cultural analysis. </p>
<p>Senior thesis (4 points): The student must select either a performance/paper project or a thesis project. The performance project consists of directing, writing, designing, or acting in a play (produced according to departmental guidelines) and writing a paper demonstrating the research and describing the evolution of the project. The thesis project involves a research paper on a significant historical issue or theoretical concept. </p>
<p>Related courses: Courses in complementary areas of study, e.g., architecture, art history, dance, film, and literature, are recommended.</p>
<p>I did not spend a lot of time poking around the Columbia site, but this sounds like a BA program to me.</p>
<p>If you go back to the CC discussion home page you will see a section that says College Majors. Go either to the Arts Majors link or the Musical Theatre link. There is a wealth of information about acting programs there. I’m a little short on time right now, but I will get back to you with a more complete answer later.</p>
<p>Columbia4life–Boston University does allow double majors and check out both the College of Fine Arts (<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/cfa[/url]”>www.bu.edu/cfa</a>) and the College of Communication (<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/com[/url]”>www.bu.edu/com</a>). CFA offers a BFA in acting or theatre studies (acting is included) and COM offers advertising, public relations, and other majors.</p>
<p>Famous CFA alums include Julianne Moore, Geena Davis, Olympia Dukakis, Jason Alexander, Paul Michael Glazer, and Michael Chiklis. Famous COM alums include Joe Roth, former chairman of Disney Studios.</p>
<p>Columbia4life,</p>
<p>Back to your question about how a theatre degree is regarded. It is true that some people look down on those who have a degree in theatre. It is also true that there are people who look down on those who have a degree in English, or History, or any liberal arts subject that they believe has no real life relevance. There are people that believe that a college degree is useless unless it directly trains one for a career. However, I and many other people believe that a theatre degree can be wonderful preparation for life. A theatre degree will teach you how to “read” other people, it will teach you interpersonal skills, it will teach you to think on your feet, and it will teach you how to speak with confidence. These things certainly translate into marketable business skills. For those students who plan to become trial lawyers some day, I can think of no better preparation. I wouldn’t worry about people who do not understand that an acting degree is just as valid and just as valuable as other college degrees. I suppose that there are some who believe that actors are “dumb”, but I truly believe that the best actors are highly intelligent people. (I will confess to bias here. My D is a MT major who graduated number 4 in her H.S. class and had very high SAT and ACT scores.) </p>
<p>Re" What is a minor? A minor involves taking a large number of courses in a subject, but not as many as in your major. Some schools allow double majors or minors and some do not. Even at schools that do not officially recognize minors, you can usually take several courses in a subject that interests you by using your elective hours. You have to look at the degree requirements for the majors you are interested in to find out how possible doing a double major or taking a minor will be. In some degree programs at some schools, the requirements for fulfilling your major are so time consuming that you can’t add a 2nd major and still finish in 4 years. You have to check out each school individually.</p>
<p>You have listed some fine schools. If you go to their websites, you can find out what the degree requirements (what courses you have to take) are for either a BFA in acting or a BA in theatre. If you want to hear what other CC posters have said about Florida State (my D’s school), Ithaca, Carnegie-Mellon, NYU, and Wagner, take a look at the Colleges for Musical Theatre thread. You can find it on the opening page of discussions under Majors. You can also find a thread devoted to straight theatre under Arts Majors.</p>
<p>I second Dancersmom’s opinion. As a college VP for Student Affairs, I think a Theatre degree could be the most useful and practical of all undergraduate degrees. Very few people will qualify for a rewarding lifelong career on the basis of their bachelor’s degree. Those who go into a technical field with a B.s. are likely to have their career progress depend upon the types of personal and interpersonal skills that a Theatre degree teaches. I have two daughters who are both likely > 1400 (now 2100) and 4.0+ GPAs - both may be valedictorians. Both are seriously considering college theatre majors (or perhaps a minor in the case of the one who’s also looking at music). I think they’re great choices, that also have the side benefot of providing a close, family-like student cohort.</p>