This is for @bfahopeful, @artskids, and anyone else whose child is currently in a BFA Acting program. How many hours a week is your child in class overall (including acting, movement, voice and speech, script analysis, etc.). And out of that total, how many hours per week is the core acting class?
(Trying to compare programs - the websites list the classes (Acting 1, Movement 1), but very few of them actually tell you the number of class hours).
Thanks!
@actorparent1 At UNCSA the early to mid morning classes are for liberal arts generally. By 10:00 or 11:00 am up through at least 5:00 or 6:00 pm daily (monday to friday) they are in required drama classes. Some evenings have a required drama class too (and of course rehearsals).
I will double check with my D, but it is about 6 hours a day (at least) in required drama classes (perhaps more). That translates to 30+ hours a week in just drama classes and doesn’t include liberal arts or any rehearsal time.
I will say that it appears that classes such as “acting 1” are often comprised of more than one course and often have different faculty teaching. They break the “little” classes into smaller credits and then it all adds up to “acting 1” for example. (it is kind of misleading as many of my D’s most time consuming classes have the fewest credits…but the university does this in order to keep kids below the 18 credit line mark for flat tuition. Otherwise, they would have to charge more if over 18 credits). Her courseload is definitely more than a “typical” college kid with 18 credits and she may only officially have 16 credits. I stopped worrying about the credits as UNCSA has such a set path that there isn’t really wiggle room and they all graduate in 4 years. (unlike other colleges were kids may only take 12 credits and then have to stay longer to graduate). I think many BFAs (especially conservatory BFAs) do this.
I’m not sure what exactly you mean by core acting classes as all of my D’s drama classes are “core” and required. If you mean pure acting vs script analysis or voice or something…she has some form of acting class every day.
Generally they are busy all day every day, in drama classes from just before lunch up through at least dinner or into early evening. Then have rehearsals in evening. The “break” for students is if they came in with credits and don’t have to take as many liberal arts - most have to take 2 a semester, but if you have credits coming in you can take 1 a semester or even finish early and then have the mornings (or a couple mornings) a week “free” so to speak.
The faculty call it a “sleep optional” program. This is true for many intensive BFA programs. My D definitely spends over 40 hours a week dedicated to drama. I know the same can be said for many other programs. For kids who love this, it is like disney land. 
Definitely dig deep into curriculum or ask for sample schedules. I think schedules paint a better picture than a course list. If school A has scheduled drama courses every day most of the day and school B has them twice a week ---- there is a big difference. One is not better than the other — but if your student wants a really intense program, it will be disappointing to only have classes a couple times a week. On the flip side, if your student wants flexibility and wants to take more liberal arts, have more free time, etc, then a super intense program won’t be a good fit either. (I am not saying one is easier or better…there are different programs and paths for good reason. Different kids have different interests and passions).
Additionally, ask how many absences they are allowed. Many of the intense conservatories do not allow kids to miss a class (or miss many, in any event).
Good luck to you!
Purchase is just about the same per D. 30 or so hours dedicated to their drama curriculum plus whatever gen eds the students are taking that semester. A dinner break and back for rehearsals or crew assignments. Purchase provides a sample schedule - I used to have it with me. I’m not sure why it isn’t on their website but I’m sure if you call the school and ask Susan Werner, she would send you a copy. They do not allow missed classes, either. You need a really compelling reason to miss one of the days where they have 4 or 5-hour acting class.
Your student will be fully immersed from Day 1 with very little time for anything outside of the conservatory. Like @bfahopeful said, this is what my D wanted so she loves it. It is definitely not a typical college experience!
Thanks so much for the helpful descriptions. My D is deciding between UArts and Hartt. She was most excited about Hartt because it’s always described as a rigorous Conservatory, which is what she wants, exactly what you guys described, a “sleep optional” program where you’re in class 30 hours a week.
But when she looked at the Hartt curriculum and it said Acting 1, and then she looked at the course catalog, it said that Acting 1 is given twice a week for an hour and 20 minutes. So only 2 hours and 40 minutes of core acting class per week. So she got worried, because it didn’t seem like very much. But it’s helpful to know, @bfahopeful, that at some schools the acting class is divided among a lot of little classes to keep them under a certain amount of credits. So there could be more hours of training that aren’t obvious when you look at the website.
We are visiting UArts tomorrow and she will be sitting in on classes there and talkin to the head of the theater department, and then next week we’ll going to Hartt to do the same. So we will definitely be asking these questions there. I just wanted to compare and contrast how many hours of training students get at the various programs. Thank you again so much for your help!
P.S. just FYI, I’m “actorparent1”, but there are also people posting on the board who are “actorparent other numbers”. So just wanted to mention that to avoid confusion! It’s my fault for taking such a generic username!
this is an old thread from the MT forum - but I think several of us with acting major kids (like me) posted on it as well
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1793789-mt-freshman-schedule-p1.html