<p>Hey all. I'm currently a Senior in high school, headed to college in the fall. I want to major in theater and minor in secondary education so I could teach high school theater.</p>
<p>However, at my college they do not give that option [I found this out a little too late, after a lot of miscommunications].</p>
<p>I would have to double major English and Theater and minor in Secondary Ed.</p>
<p>Does this sound absolutely crazy or is it manageable?</p>
<p>Thanks!!! =)</p>
<p>it would depend on the college. It’s very doable, but may be more difficult if you went for say a conservatory. It depends how much you want to put into it. I was going to do the same until i realized that theater is my first and foremost passion and i did not want to take time away from that.</p>
<p>{i am also a senior}</p>
<p>There is a substantial difference in exclusivity of focus between a BA program and a BFA. Generally, BA programs are conducive to double majoring while BFA programs are not, although some BFA programs may offer the flexibility needed to double major. When looking at the issue of double majoring, it is important to really dig into the curricular demands of a BFA program and to seriously consider a BA program as a viable means of of pursuing a double major. Make sure to talk to reps from the theatre department about this issue and not just admissions reps.</p>
<p>I plan to Double Major in Spanish and Theater</p>
<p>or Double Major in Spanish/Public Health and Minor in Theater</p>
<p>So it does seem very do-able.</p>
<p>I just wondered if I was the only one out there thinking about this and if I was crazy! haha. Thanks everyone! =)</p>
<p>& MichaelNKat, the theater program is BA, not BFA. By the way.</p>
<p>Where I teach students who want to teach HS theatre either:</p>
<p>1) Major in Theatre (or double major in Theatre and another subject) with a plan to get a masters degree in secondary education, OR do a alternative route to certification after they have worked professionally.</p>
<p>2) Major in another “hard” subject like English or History with the Secondary Education Minor Prep and the Theatre Endorsement.</p>
<p>3) Double Major in Theatre in a “hard” subject like English or History with the Secondary Education Minor Prep. The Theatre major takes the place of the Theatre endorsement.</p>
<p>I used to work part time in a teacher certification office. The rules vary from state to state, but in many states the number of theatre courses required for the additional certification in theatre are minimal. This does not mean that you may not be a better theatre arts teacher by double majoring (although many talented theatre arts teachers do not have the additional undergraduate or graduate theatre coursework)… but many states will not require you to have a large number of theatre courses to be certified to teach theatre on the HS level in the public schools. As I said above, this varies from state to state, so it is important to check the rules for the state in which you think you would like to teach.</p>
<p>When I was working in the teacher certification office the head of the department offered to look at my college and graduate school transcripts. In this particular state I had much more than the number of theatre courses required (my BFA and my MFA are in theatre), and I had run the theatre program a private school for two years (where certification is not needed) … but in order to be certified to teach theatre in the public schools in this state I would have needed to take education courses (which seemed completely reasonable), but also undergraduate course work in math, foreign language, and science which I did not have as part of my undergraduate BFA degree. This seemed a little less reasonable if the goal was to be certified to teach theatre in public schools… which I had already done in private schools and on the college level. </p>
<p>Ultimately, the head of the office and I realized that I would be better off to get certified initially in another state (the state in which my parents lived, I still worked part time in professional and college theatre, and where I had taught HS) that did not have the same strict alternative certification policy. If I received initial certification in that state I could then apply for certification in the other state and would only have to take the Praxis (or this state’s equivalent of the Praxis) to become certified.</p>
<p>In the end, I realized I was a better fit for college teaching, so I did not pursue this route… although I still love working with HS students in workshops and summer programs. </p>
<p>I babble about my experience so you will understand that you are not crazy for pursuing the path you are following. There are very few states that offer Theatre Education Certification in the same way that they offer Music Education Certification. So the path that you are following is a common one for many HS theatre teachers. </p>
<p>The path you are on will make you much more employable in the public school system! This was not my goal when I entered undergrad… I discovered my love for teaching much later, and spent a few years finding the environment that was going to be the best fit. </p>
<p>All the best to you :)!</p>
<p>just makee sure you minor in Caffeine</p>
<p>My sister was a Speech and Theatre major (that’s what the department was named at the time), and minored in Phys. Ed. She also graduated with a coaching certificate. She did her student teaching after college graduation because she couldn’t fit it in sooner.</p>
<p>This is completely doable, especially if you have a lot of incoming credita. If you don’t, then it will take a couple semesters to get it all done, but worth it if you really want to do these things. I’ve been having problems trying to decide exactly all that I want to study and how. I’ve almost completed my first year, but credit wise it was my second, so I need to decide soon. Right now, I’m an Art History major considering switching or Double majoring with Theater and minoring with Business Administration. Planning these things out can be a difficult task. Also keep in mind that you’ll may change your mind. Trust me, I swore I wouldn’t and now I am. Be flexible and use your first year to try both types of classes. You may find that you would rather devote yourself to just one of those majors and double minor in the other two, which would take less time. As far as theater goes, its definitely true about the BFA versus BA. You would have to do the BA to double major. Don’t forget about the importance of outside experience. Maybe you’ll find you can fulfill your love of theater through doing community theater or try an internship at a Performing Arts center (like me!). Ultimately, think of what career or careers you want to try to get with your degree. Also don’t forget the importance of Grad School. Grad school is great because a lot of schools offer ways that you can study a subject unrelated to your undergraduate degree, or you can further advance your knowledge of one of your fields of study. Good luck in whatever decisions you have! Feel free to ask me questions. I have been and am going through what you are. I felt the same way last spring before college and its amazing how much things have changed yet haven’t. You and I and I seem to be very similar I wanted to study English and Art History originally, now its Theater and Art History. We have some things in common. =) Where are you going in the fall by the way?</p>
<p>freshgator, I’m going to Lynchburg College in VA. It’s a small private liberal arts college in my hometown.</p>
<p>& I have to major in a core class if I want to be licensed to teach theater in VA. Otherwise I would double minor ed. and eng. But I knew I absolutely didn’t want to minor in theater so I’m double majoring. </p>
<p>happymomof1, I talked to my advisor and I will also have to do my student teaching after my first 4 years. Most likely I’ll come back as a grad student to student teach.</p>
<p>I do recall hearing something about Western Michigan University having a more than reputable theatre instructing program…but I am not sure if it is defunct…might be worth looking into.</p>
<p>Flower, if you ever consider transferring Emerson has a program that sounds as though it was devised especially for you. Their BA Theater with a concentration in theater education sounds like one of those “best of both worlds” situations. When you finish you graduate with a Massachussets teaching certificate, and I would imagine they have reciprocity with many states.</p>
<p>My hat is off to you, btw… my son’s high school drama teacher has been an inspiration to him.</p>
<p>hey, could any of you guys help me find a 4-year state university in a metro area that could allow me to double major in theater and something such as forensics(or something of that nature)</p>