In addition to meeting General Education requirements, and all other degree requirements, including Senior Project, all theatre and performance majors must meet the following major requirements (45–49 credits).

Students who declare this major must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses required for the major, excluding the senior project. To progress in the major, students who do not meet this minimum grade standard must repeat the course(s).

Six foundation courses: 18 credits

  • THP 2020/Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies: 3 credits
  • THP 2200/Theatre and Performance Production: 2 credits*
  • THP 2205/Shakespeare Then and Now: 3 credits
  • THP 2885/Theatre Histories I: 3 credits
  • THP 2890/Theatre Histories II: 3 credits
  • THP 2895/Production Practicum: 4 credits

*THP 2200 is a 1-credit course that must be taken twice (2 credits total). Transfer students need to take it only one time (1 credit).

Five elective courses: 16–20 credits

Students choose five electives in consultation with their faculty advisor. Independent studies and internships cannot be used to satisfy this requirement. At least three of these electives must be upper level (3000 or 4000), including at least one in dramatic literature or theory, and one that explores BIPOC literature, performance, culture and artists. Courses currently offered that fulfill BIPOC requirements include: 

  • THP3125/Performing Black Theatre
  • THP3190/Asian American Theatre
  • THP3260/Theatre and Asia
  • THP3495/Black American Drama
  • THP3530/Black and Gay in Performance
  • THP3535/Contemporary Indigenous Theatre and Performance
  • THP3650/Contemporary US Latino Theatre
  • SPA3715/Modern Hispanic Theatre  
    • In most cases, courses taken to fulfill this upper-level electives requirement also fulfill the senior project prerequisites.

    Synthesis courses: 11 credits

  • THP 3890/Junior Seminar: 3 credits
  • SPJ 4990/Senior Project I: 4 credits
  • SPJ 4991/Senior Project II: 4 credits

Internships and study abroad are highly recommended. Courses in other disciplines (outside the major) may count toward requirements for the major if approved in advance by the department chair.

Transfer students may meet some requirements for the major with courses taken elsewhere, subject to approval by the department chair and the registrar.

Junior Seminar and Senior Project

Students normally take the junior seminar (THP 3890) in the spring of their junior year, during which they develop and submit their senior project proposal for approval. The senior project is normally completed during the fall and spring of the senior year in one of the following areas (or a combination of these areas):

  • Directing
  • Writing for the stage or performance composition
  • Production (including stage managing or designing and executing the design for a production)
  • Performance practice (including acting a major role in a faculty-supervised student production or a faculty-directed production)
  • Alternative performance practices (e.g., solo or devised performance)
  • Theatre history, theory, or criticism (an academic essay)
  • Dramaturgy
  • Applied Theatre

All creative senior projects (in acting, directing, solo performance, design and writing for the stage) require a statement of artistic aims, a contextual research essay, and technical essay evaluating the process and results of the creative project.

Specific elective courses are prerequisites for each of these types of senior projects, as listed below. Students should consult closely with their faculty advisor to ensure that these courses have been completed by the end of the junior year.

In most cases, students must receive formal approval of their senior project proposal by the end of the junior seminar. Acceptance of proposals is not automatic—it is dependent on adequate student preparation and fulfillment of required courses, as well as faculty availability and expertise. Students may be asked to submit an alternate proposal or take additional courses before proceeding. The number of students pursuing a particular type of senior project may be limited, subject to approval by the theatre and performance faculty.

Advanced students who plan to explore the intersections of two or more areas in their senior project should consult with their faculty advisor well in advance to shape an acceptable course of study and senior project.

  The following elective courses are prerequisites for the senior project, and must be completed prior to enrolling in Senior Project I. 

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