<p>Okay...I know this sounds strange...but I want to double major in either theatre or musical theatre and something like secondary history education. Am I completely crazy? My passion is musical theatre, but I would really like to have something practical that I also love to pair with it. Also, could the teaching certification in history also apply towards drama or music? Say, there's an opening for a high school drama teacher. Could I still be eligible for the job?</p>
<p>There are numerous threads on the subject of double majors with a Theater degree. This would depend upon whether you are looking for a BFA vs BA degree. Most BFA programs will tell you flat out that a double-major is out of the question, especially in a conservatory setting, and definitely not in a 4-year program. There are some programs where an education degree can be obtained, but would work within a specific arts program {i.e., Dance Education with a Dance major}. There is some wiggle room within a BA program, but again, difficult to complete within 4 years, unless you plan very carefully and might need to complete some summer courses in order to finish both in 4 years. It’s likely you’d need at least one additional semester, if not another full year {super senior} to complete a double major. Looking at a major with a teaching certificate also requires practicum {student teaching}, which would require time off-campus and outside of the theater major classes.</p>
<p>Most audition programs look for students who want to pursue theater as a full-time career. Some students choose to double in another area of the arts, such as Arts Admin/Mgmt, or minor rather than major, such as in Business</p>
<p>Glitch in posting above…here’s complete post</p>
<p>There are numerous threads on the subject of double majors with a MT/Theater degree on CC. This would depend upon whether you are looking for a BFA vs BA degree. Most BFA programs will tell you flat out that a double-major is out of the question, especially in a conservatory setting, and definitely not in a 4-year program. There are some programs where an education degree can be obtained, but would coincide within a specific arts program {i.e., Montclair State has a Dance Education dual degree with a Dance major}. There is some wiggle room within a BA program, but again, difficult to complete within 4 years, unless you plan very carefully and might need to complete some summer courses in order to finish both in 4 years. It’s more likely you’d need at least one additional semester, if not another full year {super senior} to complete a double major. Looking at a major with a teaching certificate also requires practicum {student teaching}, which would require time off-campus and outside of the theater major curriculum.</p>
<p>You may find most audition-select BFA programs look for students who want to pursue theater as a full-time career. These are conservatory programs with limited spots to fill, so are very selective about the students they’ll choose to work with for 4 years. They want them focused and driven, because theatre is a tough business. Some students in audition-based BA programs choose to double in another area of the arts, such as Arts Admin/Mgmt, or minor rather than major in another area, such as in Business/Marketing/Communication.</p>
<p>You may wish to consider a non-auditioned program instead. There may very well be a few school/ theater degree programs out there that would allow you to pursue both interests. Muhlenberg in PA is one that comes to mind. It’s a highly regarded non-auditioned BA theater program that encourages double majors. I’m sure other people on the Theatre/MT forums can chime in with other suggestions.</p>
<p>If you have the grades for it I would suggest Northwestern. A girl from my area is planning on being there for 5 years and double majoring in MT and I believe International Relations.</p>
<p>You have to be careful with musical theatre programs. One of my friends is a MT major and he’s not allowed to have any classes on Fridays, similar to athletes except that athletes have to be worked around if they have a class on Fridays. With him, he flat out can’t have classes on Fridays because they have to go to presentations and practices and stuff. He was able to work in one MWF class this semester (he had to haggle with going to the class either early in the morning or later in the afternoon), but he said they probably won’t let him do it again. </p>
<p>So, it’s first a matter of the logistics and material conditions. If that’s fine, then you can soul search and figure out what it is you want to do.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>I’ll second @futuremillie6, in that many (maybe most?) theatre students at Northwestern are able to complete a second major in 4 years. This is true in part because most admitted students come in with a LOT of AP credits (usually need scores of 5 or sometimes 4 for credit) and/or IB credits, in part because the BA Theatre with MT Certificate or BM Vocal Performance with MT Certificate have a flexible curriculum, and also because NU is on the quarter system. D has MT friends at NU earning double majors in virtually every field you can imagine, including pre-med.</p>
<p>Check out Wagner College on Staten Island. They have a combo theatre arts/education degree.</p>
<p>^austinmt, my S is a Theatre Performance major, with a Marketing minor at Wagner, so I’m familiar with their programs. Wagner’s dual major is a non-auditioned Theatre Studies, not Theatre Performance (which is an audition-based MT concentration) and Childhood Education up to Grade 6, not secondary education/history is indicated by the OP, so I didn’t offer it as a possible option. If the OP is interested in a more broad, general non-auditioned Theatre Studies degree, than there are plenty of schools that would offer a double major, achievable in 4 years. From what I read in the original post, that didn’t seem to be what was indicated…</p>
<p>My S at Rider had enough APs to facilitate the possibility of a double-major, so he is also pursuing BA in Arts Administration – which works well with the BFA in MT as some of the theatre classes count for both. He definitely needed the APs to remove some GE requirements and I’m not sure he could have double majored in just any subject without adding another year, etc. A minor in an unrelated area might have been possible. He still may need one summer class in accounting to make it all work. Probably will take online.</p>