Where performance and scholarship share the bill

The Department of Theatre offers the bachelor of arts degree, which allows students to make theatre the foundation of their liberal arts education. The undergraduate curriculum meets the needs of those who want a strong liberal arts education while specializing in the history and literature of theatre and the crafts of theatre production. Students enrolled in our program may choose to concentrate in performance (acting and directing), design and technical theatre or playwriting. While the department remains committed to a broad-based, stimulating liberal arts education promoting skills in critical thinking and communication, its programs also prepare students who want a career in the professional theatre to enter that field or to pursue graduate studies leading to a professional theatre career.

The Major

Students seeking a theatre degree may declare their major immediately upon arriving at MU and enrolling in classes in the College of Arts and Science. Some choose to wait two or three semesters until they are familiar with the wide range of programs offered at MU. In either case, students are encouraged to take basic courses in theatre to become familiar with the discipline and the faculty. Students planning to major in theatre but choosing to defer the decision for a few semesters are encouraged to confer with Department of Theatre faculty about freshman and sophomore classes in theatre and about their goals and aspirations.

The theatre major consists of 17 credits in core courses required of all majors with additional credits in one of three Emphasis Areas including Performance, Design/Technical Theatre and Writing for Performance. Students are not required to audition to be admitted to an emphasis area.

The Minor

The Department of Theatre offers a minor available to students from any division or major. It consists of a 6 hour core plus 9 hours of addition theatre classes including at least 6 hours coursework 2000 level and above.

To officially declare your minor in Theatre fill out the declaration form at declareaminor.missouri.edu. Once you have received confirmation of your minor declaration, you can access your progress towards your minor or certificate by running a degree audit. If you have questions about the minor after you view your degree audit, contact the advisors for the minor, Alex Anderson AndersonAI@missouri.edu or Jennifer Bloss BlossJe@missouri.edu. Click on the link below for more information about declaring a minor.

Arts Entrepreneurship Certificate

In today's fine arts economy, most artists have a "portfolio career" – incorporating multiple roles and income streams (e.g. performer, teacher, advocate, manager, publicist, composer/arranger, etc.) rather than pursuing one narrowly defined career path. The certificate provides an excellent foundation for those who want to become working artists, musicians, actors, designers, and those who want to work in arts management in businesses and non-profit organizations. It provides each student with the unique opportunity to explore their creative process and their ability to collaborate with others.

The Certificate in Arts Entrepreneurship is meant to extend the study of an individual arts discipline. Students across the disciplines of Music, Theatre, and Visual Studies (Art, Art History, Design, Digital Storytelling, and Film), benefit from the business, marketing, and organizational skills offered by certificate courses to develop the skills needed to build a thriving career in the many arts industries. Aimed primarily at degree-seeking students in the School of Music, Department of Theatre, and School of Visual Studies, this certificate is also available to students in other departments as an add-on to a degree or as a stand-alone certificate.

Students interested in pursuing the Arts Entrepreneurship certificate should first consult with their academic advisor based on their major. Students from the Department of Theatre & Performance Studies should contact Lauren Hynes. If you have any questions about the program itself, feel free to contact Dr. Pete Zambito, the faculty coordinator for the Arts Entrepreneurship certificate.