The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is designed to provide a specialized program for students who show academic and artistic promise in the performance or production aspects of theatre. The curriculum involves intensive study in acting, design, directing, playwrighting, stage management, or stage technology. The objective of the program is to provide the Bachelor of Fine Arts graduate with a high level of competency, specialized knowledge, and extensive experience in preparation for a professional career in theatre. Approximately one-half of the total undergraduate credit hours in the BFA degree program are devoted to theatre courses (63-72 credits) and provide a pre-professional’s body of course work, practical theatre experiences and production responsibilities.

BFA Options:

• Design (with a focus in costuming, lighting, scenic/properties, or sound)

• Directing

• Performance

• Playwrighting

• Stage Management

• Technical Direction

Guidelines and Requirements for BFA Students:

The BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) degree is a strenuous training program that does not allow for part- time status.

Students in the BFA degree program are required to Jury (audition or present their portfolio) every semester in order to remain in the program. The Jury process involves preparation and a presentation before the theatre faculty. Different concentrations have different Jury requirements, which are listed in the following section. Failure to jury will result in a denial of BFA status. All BFA students are required to complete a minimum of six juries before they earn their BFA degree. After completing a minimum of six juries, BFA candidates must continue to jury until their completion of the program.

A transfer student into the BFA program must complete a minimum of three years (six juries) at Salem State University as a Theatre Major, in consultation with the Department Chairperson.

After all of the students complete their BFA Jury each semester, the Chairperson of the Department composes personalized letters with the result of the Jury, notes from the faculty panel, and recommendations for their upcoming semester.

BFA Application Process

The First Jury:

Students must apply to the Bachelor of Fine Arts Theatre Program. Students are encouraged to apply no later than the fall of their sophomore year in order to be able to graduate in four years.

Students must  meet the following criteria in their first Jury in order to advance to a BFA Candidate status:

• Have a minimum GPA of 3.0 in any Theatre courses they have completed.

• Accumulate the necessary Theatre Production Points (TPP) for any semesters they have completed.

• During their first Jury students must present or perform before the Theatre faculty to demonstrate their capacity to be in the BFA program.

After a student’s first Jury they will receive notice as to their application status in the BFA program; there are two possible status outcomes:

1.     STATUS: BFA CANDIDATE

• Students who successfully complete their first Jury (audition/portfolio review and interview process) will receive notice that they are now a BFA Candidate.

• Please note: Candidate status is usually maintained for two semesters as the faculty and department become acquainted with the  student’s growth. This time frame allows the candidate and department the appropriate time to determine, through embodied experiences, the aptitude for student success in this concentrated program of study.

• WHAT TO DO NEXT: When a student receives their first “Candidate” status for the BFA program, they should submit a change of major request in Navigator to officially register in the BFA program through the University. (We highly recommend all new “Candidate” BFA students submit their online Change of Major request as soon as they receive their Candidate letter so their Navigator account will reflect their BFA status when  they meet with their faculty advisor for advising.)

2.     STATUS: DENIED

• If the first Jury is not successful, the student may be Denied from entering the BFA program. 

• Please note: “Denied” status may be due to the audition/portfolio review, a GPA lower than 3.0 in theatre classes, insufficient TPP, or other items deemed by the department and explained to the student in the status letter.

•  WHAT TO DO NEXT: The student should continue in the BA program with their chosen concentration. Students are encouraged, after reading the status letter, to make an appointment with their advisor (or chairperson) to discuss if another BFA concentration might be a better fit for them.

Continuation in the BFA Program

Once a student becomes a “BFA Candidate” they must jury every semester until graduation and continue to meet program requirements. After each of the juries the students receive a letter notifying  them of their status in the program as either: Candidate (for up to 3 semesters), Accepted, On Probation, Denied, or Deferred.

BFA Status Options Explained:

1. CANDIDATE:

• Candidate status can be maintained for up to 3 semesters

• The student is following all the BFA courses and following the BFA program

• During this status, faculty/department are getting to know the student and determining, though course work, TPP, and Juries if the student and the rigorous BFA structure are compatible for success

2. ACCEPTED: Student has met the requirements of the program including:

• A 3.0 overall GPA in their theatre classes

• Sufficient Theatre Production Points

• An audition or portfolio presentation that meets expectations

• Demonstrated growth, commitment and capacity in the program

3. ON PROBATION: Student has not meet one (or more) requirements of the program, but the faculty/department determine that the student has the time and ability to meet the requirements within a time parameter.

• If the work presented in a Candidate’s Jury (audition/interview) is not acceptable, the BFA student will be put “on probation” and will have two semesters in which to reconcile the situation by showing creative growth and academic prowess for full acceptance into the BFA.

• For example: A student’s GPA in theatre classes may be below a 3.0 but above a 2.90 and they have been active (TPP) in the program and demonstrated growth.

• A student can receive up to two “On Probation” results.

• If, after two semesters on probation, they do return receive an “Accepted” status they will be denied from continuation of the program.

4. DENIED: The work presented in a Candidate’s Jury (audition/interview) is not acceptable and does not meet the requirements.

• Please note: “Denied” status may be due to the audition/portfolio review, a GPA lower than 3.0 in theatre classes, insufficient TPP, or other items deemed by the department and explained to the student in the status letter.

• Students are advised to continue in the BA Theatre Arts degree with their chosen concentration: BA degree coursework includes completion of a minor and fulfilling the foreign-language requirement.

• Students are encouraged, after reading the status letter, to make an appointment with their advisor (or chairperson) to discuss if another BFA concentration might be a better fit for them
  
  

5. DEFERRED:

• If a student has received two sequential Probational results and is going to be denied solely based on their Theatre GPA, the faculty may elect to give them the option to defer their result letter until the current semester’s grades are posted, based on the following criteria:

• The student has shown significant progress in their Theatre GPA over their previous probational semesters.

• It is mathematically possible for their Theatre GPA to meet the 3.0 threshold by the end of the current semester.

• Please note this status is at the discretion of the faculty. Students will be advised to register for BFA classes. If the student’s Theatre GPA does not meet the 3.0 threshold when grades are posted for the semester, they will need to change their schedule to BA-track classes. An incomplete grade in a theatre class that semester will result in denial from the BFA program. A student may only receive one deferment while in the BFA Program.

Important BFA Expectations to Consider:

• Students who are active in the BFA degree program who fail to jury every semester will not be permitted back into the BFA program.

• The Theatre Department is committed to full-time students completing their university education in four to five years. To graduate with a BFA a student must Jury six times (semesters). If by the end of the sophomore year a student has not received an “Accepted” status, they must transfer into the BA (Bachelor of Arts) program. (Please note- this means that if a student waits until the beginning of their sophomore year to Jury, they only have two Juries in the BFA to receive a Accepted status, in order to  graduate in four years.)

• Students who are on an official/medical leave of absence (LOA or MLOA) from the university are not required to jury for the time that they are on leave. Those students will be reinstated upon return to the university to their former BFA status. Failure to comply with these guidelines upon return will result in denied status from the BFA degree program.

• A pattern of course withdrawals and failed classes over a series of semesters indicates a lack of commitment to education, jeopardizes a student’s standing in the BFA program, and warrants an explanation to the BFA Committee.