<p>Hello everyone! Ok, so I know that there has been a lot of talk on this forum about double majoring with a BFA musical theatre program. However, I'm not interested in cramming all of the classes for a double major into my schedule. But how reasonable would it be to have a minor while in a BFA musical theatre program. I'm particularly interested in minoring in French language and culture (because I have a passion for foreign languages, and being able to speak another language fluently would come in handy in the world of theatre and acting). Has anyone done something like this? Is it hard or easy to find a school that will accomodate my preferences for a minor like this? Thanks everyone.</p>
<p>You need to inquire at each school. There are many BFA programs where a minor in another subject is not possible and there are others where it is indeed possible. </p>
<p>That said, given your interest in foreign languages, I just wanted to mention that you don’t have to have an official minor in a foreign language in order to study it while in college. I have a daughter who was not a theater major but majored in something else. However, while at college she chose to take French all four years (NONE was required) but it wasn’t officially a minor. She became fluent in French (had been studying it before college too) and enough so that she has lived and worked in France five times by the age of 24. While she has no major or minor in French in college, she chose to prioritize keeping her French studies up while in college all four years. I’m just putting that out there to you that you don’t have to minor officially in something in order to prioritize taking coursework in it throughout college, and this is particularly true of foreign language.</p>
<p>Thanks for telling me about that option. I know that this differs from school to school to probably, but generally how open are MT majors schedules for additional elective classes like French?</p>
<p>Yoshi, that is just too difficult to answer in a blanket statement. At some BFA programs, the BFA curriculum represents about 65% of the coursework and at some other BFA programs, it represents about 85% of the coursework. Further, most of these programs have some specific liberal arts or general education requirements in certain areas/subjects. Some programs have more room for academic electives or choice of gen. ed. requirements than others. That is why you really need to read the curriculum requirements for every BFA program that interests you. For example, taking French as courses, as a minor, or even double major is possible at NYU/Tisch but it is not possible at CMU.</p>
<p>If you are looking for blanket answers, the best I can give you is that if you are strongly interested in a minor in another area or double major, generally a BA is a better option than a BFA. But there are some BFAs that have a significant amount of liberal arts that may satisfy you but even those won’t be like a BA, because a major in a BA is about 30% of your coursework and a BFA in MT is a much bigger percentage of your total coursework.</p>
<p>Yoshi - If you are going in with AP and/or dual enrollment credits that may come into play as well. My D had both and so she has some additional flexibility in her schedule because she doesn’t have to take some of the core courses. BUT, because her BFA classes are sequenced, she still has to find classes that fit into her schedule, even if they are not the core classes she would normally be taking that semester. That again varies greatly by school.</p>
<p>I would add that it is often easier to minor within whatever college the theatre department is located in than outside of it. I.E.- most theatre departments are found under the branch of the “College of Humanities and/or Fine Arts” (or something to that extent, that’s just the name at my school). Because of that, credits that you would need for your core/general education classes can often be used to minor in something within humanities, as you are already taking the classes to fufill your BFA degree. </p>
<p>It will depend on the particular school’s core requirements, but at my university, english is a popular minor because we are already required to take 9 credits of english, and with 3-6 credits of electives, many find it easy to squeeze in the extra classes required for a minor. Things like english, history, religion, philosophy, graphic design, and other “art” degrees are a lot easier to attain than a science or math, especially since you are already in the same building as many of these classes for your BFA classes.</p>
<p>I hope that made sense. I didn’t understand credit hours or “core” requirements too much before I started actually going to school and working in the theatre office, so if you need more specifics, feel free to ask.</p>
<p>Yoshi – as others have said there is no blanket answer. </p>
<p>You will need to look at the specific requirements at each of the schools that interest you, and also ask questions of the specific schools. This is true for both BA and BFA programs. While a double major or minor is certainly easier to obtain within at MOST BA programs than MOST BFA program there are exceptions on both sides. </p>
<p>As a rule of thumb in most BA programs anywhere from 30% to 65% of your required coursework will be in your major with 70% - 35% in required general education classes. As a rule of thumb in most BFA programs anywhere from 65% to 90% of your required coursework will be in your major with 10% - 35% in required general education classes (although the “strictness” and specificity of the general education requirements will vary from school to school… regardless of BA or BFA… Some schools having a large required academic core, others allowing for more freedom in course selection in general education classes). At some schools (both BA and BFA) you will be able to take additional non-required course work in your major and outside of your major. At some schools (both BA and BFA) there will be restrictions on what additional courses you can take.</p>
<p>With so much variation in program requirements and school policy there is really no way for anyone to give a blanket answer to your question. Once you narrow your list down you may be able to ask here on CC about individual experiences at those specific schools. Current students, faculty, and parents would be able to help you sort through the specific differences and similarities based upon their own experiences at specific schools. </p>
<p>Good luck :)</p>