Double Major with theatre/drama

<p>I'm interested in doing a double major with theatre as one major and I'm thinking about several other ones as the second. Are there any schools that this is really good to do at? Anything I should know?</p>

<p>With the information I’ve gathered on here, I think that if you want to double major you should get a BA in theater rather than a BFA</p>

<p>Yes, generally a BA in Theatre will be workable with a double major. I would be able to help you more if I knew what other majors were you were interested in. A theatre major, however, will learn how to communicate, collaborate, and solve problems creatively: important skills to have in any job!</p>

<p>Northwestern is a great choice (BA or BS) for theatre folks who want to double major. Since they’re on the quarter system, students take a lot of classes which apparently makes it possible to fit in the requirements for a double major. When we were touring, D met one Theatre student who was completing a triple major in 4 years, and MANY of her friends are double majoring.</p>

<p>NYU Tisch allows you to double major and do BFA.
However, as people have said above, it is generally wise to do a BA if you want to double major.</p>

<p>Great thread given I am parent of a junior in high school who has a passion for stage management but is also looking to get a well rounded / liberal arts education. </p>

<p>Given post made reference to being able to help with suggested schools where a double major could be done if you knew more about the student’s interest, I am offering up my son’s interests to get yours or anyone else’s feedback.</p>

<p>Interested in schools where double major could be done in stage management (BA) and:

  • Clinical psychology -or-
  • Business</p>

<p>So far, the research my son has done has yielded the following for stage management BA candidates:

  • Northwestern
  • Boston University</p>

<p>We are just looking for suggestions to round out a list that currently includes:

  • American University
  • Boston College
  • Brown University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
  • Cornell University
  • Emerson College
  • Fordham University
  • George Washington University
  • Ithaca University
  • Loyola Chicago
  • Skidmore College
  • Syracuse
  • University of Massachusetts
  • University of Richmond
  • College of William & Mary
  • Yale</p>

<p>I’m afraid I don’t know much about those specific second majors at other schools on your list, but I can add a bit more info about Northwestern (NU), which would offer a LOT of stage management experience as they produce over 60 shows a year. From talking with D, it may be true that the majority of Theatre students at NU double major, so he’d be in very good company AND the advisors are very well equipped to help students plan complex schedules which is not true at many schools. I know they have a great Psychology program, and while they don’t offer an UG Business major per se, the Kellogg Certificate is among the most prestigious UG business credential you can earn.</p>

<p>Thanks MomCares. Northwestern is on our son’s list, so we’ll be taking a trip out to Chicago from our home south of Boston, MA. It’s a great school where some students from my son’s high school have gotten in.</p>

<p>If there is anyone else on this thread that has any perspectives on colleges that offer a BA in stage management and also have a good liberal arts program, please chime in. Our son is doing a lot of searching as are we and it’s hard to find a definitive list of colleges with stage management programs that also afford students the opportunity to major in another area.</p>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<p>I would suggest Ball State University as a prospective school. I am a freshman Theatre Education Major here, and many students double major with Theatre. A popular pairing is Theatre Studies and Telecommunications. Both departments are what Ball State is known for, and are very strong! There are also many who double within the Department of Theatre and Dance. Students also add an education degree to either Theatre Education or another Theatre major; BSU has an excellent Teacher’s College as well. Hope this helps!</p>

<p>asclark63, I notice your S has a lot of Boston and east coast schools plus a couple in Chicago. I don’t know about many of the schools on his list, but GWU is a good possibility and they offer merit for Scholars in the Arts if he happened to apply. Not sure the deadline. Also, CMU is great–but as a rigorous BFA degree program, students may not double major, I believe. </p>

<p>You aren’t looking west of Chicago, but if he’d like to live in Los Angeles, we can highly recommend USC, which has a stage management major in their Theatre BA program, as well as their BFA program. To double major, he’d go for the BA, and would get great hands on experience and stage manage productions. In addition, they have a wonderful undergrad Business school (Marshall) and many students double major in Marshall. My older son is currently taking an entrepreneurship class there (not a biz major) and is knocked out by the quality of speakers they bring onto campus every week.</p>

<p>For many top universities, such as the ones on his current list, there are strong theatre departments. While they may not have a stage management track, per se, that would likely mean less SM students around vying to stage manage mainstage productions so he’d get all the plum assignments, building his portfolio quickly. All it takes is one or two mentors in tech theatre guiding him to high standards to help him find great opportunities after college as well.</p>

<p>James Madison University in VA has a strong Stage Management program. It is a BA program.</p>