Double Majors?

@broadway95 Ok but I bet your point would be the same fora BA program too. Considering the amount of time she currently spends at the theater I bet you are right!!

@Joyfulmama Yes definitely. Each program is so different that you really have to look individually at the school and decide. It helps when you know what you want out of the program and then you can look at the curriculum and ask the questions to see if it really is feasible.

Just as some schools offer both a BFA and BA, certain schools use the same faculty to teach the theatre major and some use different faculty to teach the BA track and BFA track. For example if dance were high on your list its good to check if they are with the dance majors or if they have different faculty and if they level you or not. Some places acting majors and MT major have the same faculty for acting classes and some don’t .

There’s so much to look at and it really is different at every school

@Joyfulmama While it may be challenging, a double major is certainly possible for kids at Tisch. My D completed a double major while there, as did several of her friends. It is a lot of work but kids who are focussed and determined to have a double major have always been able to do it. The way that Tisch schedules studio work full-time on three days of the week allows for two days of academics, which is what makes it possible.

@broadway95 Wow great info!! Those are factors I did not even think about! I will definitely look into that while researching! Thank you so much that is so helpful!!

@alwaysamom Thats great! My D is definitely handling juggling many difficult courses with theater with several clubs so I know she has the motivation and organization skills to do it. I think she took NYU off her list bc she wants a campus, we live near the city so are there often and she wants to experience a true campus.

Tisch also has a minor in producing. I’m interested in theatre management and though UArts doesn’t technically have a minor (you can minor in Music Business, Entrepreneurship and Technology), there is very comprehensive business of the business training that is required for the major and more classes in the DPP (Directing, Playwriting & Performance) track that you can take as electives. I also might take some business classes through a college they’re affiliated with.

My recommendation - if you aren’t starting college with a lot of AP or other credit - take your first semester or year and focus on your MT requirements and whatever required gen eds you can fit into your schedule. See what your days and workload are like. See what “extra” activities also take up time (rehearsals, choir, study groups, campus organizations, etc…) and see how much time you need for yourself (exercise, eating, sleeping, being with friends )then decide whether or not you can fit a 2nd major or minor into your schedule. It it’s something really important to you, find out how it would work if you needed an extra semester or year to fulfill all your required classes. As has been mentioned, often it’s just not whether you have a free spot in your schedule - but whether the classes you need to take are offered at a time that doesn’t conflict with your major requirements. It’s nice if you can do it, but certainly many actors are employed in non-acting jobs without benefit of a 2nd major or minor. And many people of all majors go back to grad school if they decide to change professions whether they had a double major or not. It probably depends on the type of job you are interested in.

Thanks @vvnstar That is good advice! I posted bc I want my D to attend a school where it is possible to double major or minor if she wants to. And I know many it is not even allowed. But again if she goes for a BA hopefully that will help.

Our D wanted to double major in History, but not because she wasn’t fully commited to being a performer (she is) or because she thought she’d have lots af spare time in her program (she didn’t) or because there was big money to made as a Historian (there isn’t). She’s just always really loved history, and also craves the balance she finds by moving between performing and academics (sometimes she likes to be away from all the drama… haha).

I have no doubt it that took a lot of work (and I’m not sure if she’ll finish with a minor or the second major as she took two quarters off for shows senior year) but I do know that she always resisted our suggestions to drop any history classes as she loved them and didn’t want to give them up. I thought trying to do both might up her stress level, but according to her the balance actually helped. And recently she was at party and wound up spending much of the evenng chatting with a director about the historical context of a piece he wanted to do so who knows, maybe her extraneous knowledge will benefit her performing career even in ways we’d never imagined.

@MomCares Thank you for sharing!! Good for her, to follow what her heart told her to. I pray my D can do the same!!

While @vvnstar makes a great point that simply adjusting to college is a project in and of itself with only ONE major (especially one as strenuous as MT), I don’t know that I agree that waiting to start a double major is a good idea–even waiting one semester to add the double major could put someone back a semester/a year depending on the school (simply because of the way course rotations work). I think it’s in the best interest of anyone who wants to double major to commit to make sure they want it from the get-go (and if they change their mind, then they can always drop the double major later, instead of incurring extra costs by picking it up later).

@CanadianMTgirl very true! Since my D already knows shewants to double major or at the least minor in something else, she will have to start right away to fit it all in.

I understand what you’re saying @CanadianMTgirl. And that’s great if your schedule will allow it – but, for example, at OCU, required classes for freshman MTs equal 16 credit hours first semester and 17 credit hours 2nd semester. The degree itself requires a minimum of 124 earned credit hours. (that includes at least 1 gen ed each semester). So unless your gen ed can also count towards your double major, or unless you come in with AP credits for required gen eds, it can be very difficult to add a class towards a minor without taking an extremely heavy course load and without having to pay for the extra hours. I think with all of the adjustments you need to make starting college, taking 19 or more hours first semester would be really tough. So just make sure what is required of your major first. Understand what you have to do to get both major and minor classes scheduled. And also understand if you will incur any additional costs to take that many hours. You don’t want any surprises. And really assess if you can handle that heavy of a course load when first starting college. At most schools it takes a lot of planning to fit that 2nd major in because there are so many required hours for the MT major. It is more possible at some schools than others. You also may want to consider taking some online classes during breaks that could count towards your gen eds or possibly your minor if your school allows. These would be an additional cost but may be worth it to not have too heavy of a schedule during the regular school year.

During this Spring semester, BFA freshman MT S took 2 academic classes on-line to free up space in schedule for an extra dance class. Trying to squeeze that academic work in on Sundays while he rehearsed/performed in Main Stage musical this semester nearly “killed” him. All his “healthy” habits - daily visits to the gym, limiting caffein, eating right, getting enough sleep - went out the window. Nor was he able to truly absorb the knowledge that was “the point” of the on-line classes. He barely made it through the end-of-the-semsester juries, recitals, showcase, finals. While this is not the same as doing a double major, I think it IS indicative of the work load if you are trying to do that as a BFA with a major that does not overlap in requirements. Seems to me that planning on extra semesters would be a saner way to go about it.

My S barely made it through a semester with two extra dance classes on Saturdays (which meant that, in addition to being in class, rehearsal or work study from 8-11 on weekdays, he had no rest on weekends either). These kids’ schedules are not like normal college students. Be careful about adding more.

I’ve heard some folks on here say American U in Washington DC is very good if you want to double major with MT or add at least a minor.

This is why we are focused on BA’s and not BFA’s so her schedule will allow for more class options.
@lcoulter32724 Thank you, Yes American is on her list, we have not visited yet but will visit American and Catholic hopefully this summer.