<p>First of all, I'd like to say that I have absolutely no idea how college credits, GPA and all of that stuff works. Some of my friends who are pursuing a BA told me a little bit about it, but I'm guessing it's different for people pursuing BFAs.</p>
<p>Basically, I already have 20 college credits (4 in directing, 4 in acting, 4 in design, 4 in playwriting and 4 in movement/voice). I was wondering if that means I could graduate maybe a semester earlier or if it just means that I could have a semester with only some electives. Can someone please explain? :)</p>
<p>I read that at CalArts you need 129 credits to graduate (46 in the school of Critical Studies), at UArts is 123 and at Columbia College Chicago 70 credits are needed to complete the BFA in Acting. My credits are not transferable to British institutions, probably.</p>
<p>If anyone knows this information, please let me know!</p>
<p>milkshakespeare, whether for BA or BFA, it would depend on the institution. They have the ultimate say. But to my knowledge, it’s unlikely a BFA program will award you the theatre credits. They may award you academic credits, for instance, if you had taken a Freshmen level English class or gotten a 5 on your AP Literature exam. But it would be unusual for a BFA program to award you credits in theatre classes. </p>
<p>As a side note: I wouldn’t worry at all about the specific number of credits for each institution. Basically, if you take the classes you are supposed to take each semester, and meet the requirements of the classes, you’ll graduate in time. (Unless you’re double majoring, which is a separate issue.) Each college is different in what it requires. You would go to their website and look at their description of each year. Many have pretty detailed descriptions of their BFA programs year by year. Many BFA programs are fairly inflexible about what courses you must take; others have a bit more variety/flexibility. Some have more electives; others have fewer. Some have language requirements and other core academic requirements. Again, this varies from college to college. At college, you will be advised what courses you need to take for your major. It sounds more complex than it is. </p>
<p>Hopefully, you will be accepted to more than one college. When you find out what colleges you are accepted to, one of the factors to consider is the coursework and the college’s policies. At that point - before you choose - you could always contact the BFA program and tell them about your courses and ask whether they’d credit you.</p>
<p>Many BFAs have a set sequence of required courses which must be taken at their school and cover 4 years. BFA programs are the least flexible in terms of graduating early or transferring in with credits. And many BA Theatre programs will not let students transfer in any courses req. for the major. If anything, previous courses taken at other institutions may sometimes be allowed elective credit. </p>
<p>If a student is concerned about costs and would like the option of graduating earlier than 4 full years, some BA programs may give credit for AP tests (scores 4 or 5) and other accredited college courses. You can search for the articulation agreement at each college and see exactly what general ed courses, if any, they are prepared to accept.</p>