The BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) Theatre Arts program is a specialized liberal arts program for students who show exceptional promise in the performance or production aspects of theatre. One-half of the total undergraduate credit hours in the BFA program are devoted to theatre courses and provide course work, practical theatre experiences and production responsibilities that help prepare students for a professional career in theatre.  BFA concentrations/options include Design, Directing, Performance, Play writing, Stage Management, and Technical Theatre. 

Students must apply for the BFA Theatre program by jurying every semester.  (A BFA "Jury" is an audition or portfolio review in front of a faculty panel.) Students are encouraged to jury no later than the fall of their sophomore year in order to be able to graduate with their BFA degree in four years. 

BFA Program Requirements:

• All BFA students must complete at least six Juries in order to graduate; once a BFA student has completed the requisite six Juries, they must continue to jury each semester until they graduate. Jurying every semester demonstrates their capacity to continue in the BFA program.

• Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 in their Theatre courses.

• Students must accumulate the necessary Theatre Production Points (TPP) every semester. (50 hours of work on a Department production, supervised by a Theatre Department faculty/staff member.)

• Students must present a good audition, portfolio presentation, or writing sample (depending on the requirements of their desired concentration.)

• Students must demonstrate growth, commitment, and capacity in their desired program of study. 

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.

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 fill out a change of major form to officially register in the BFA program through the University. (Change of Major forms are available online through the university website. We highly recommend all new “Candidate” BFA students complete and submit their Change of Major form 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 they are currently following. 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. 

BFA Juries (after the first) & Continuation in 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, or Denied.

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

• A good audition or portfolio presentation

• 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 feel 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 not receive an “Accepted” status they will be denied from continuation of the program.

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

• Students will be advised to follow the BA Theatre Arts degree requirements by selecting a minor and fulfilling the foreign language requirements

IMPORTANT BFA ITEMS 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 6 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 4 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 their former 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.

• All active BFA performance majors are required to audition for all Theatre Department productions.