Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Arts
General Education Requirements
All Theatre Arts majors must satisfy the University and College of Arts and Sciences' 42-hour General Education core requirements, which include ENGL 1100 and the Math proficiency requirement.
Junior-level writing class is required.
The Cultural Diversity requirements may be satisfied by General Education courses or lower-or upper-level courses in various departments.
State Government/History graduation requirements may be satisfied by General Education courses or by other lower-or upper-level courses in various departments.
13 hours of a foreign language.
Degree Requirements
Theatre Arts majors must choose an emphasis area within the Department of Theatre and Cinema Arts. They may choose from the following options: Acting/Directing, Design, Playwriting/Screenwriting, and Cinema. Each student must complete the required core courses as well as the requirements for each emphasis area. At least 24 hours in the major must be taken at UMSL and must include 6 hours at the 2000 or higher level and 9 hours at the 3000 or higher level. All courses required for the major must be completed with a minimum grade of C- to be accepted, and the overall total grade point average must be at least 2.0 to graduate. To be eligible to participate in Internship classes, each student must have a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0
In addition to the major’s required core curriculum and emphasis area requirements, all students must participate in the Department’s productions through their required credit hours in practicum each semester.
Required Core Courses for all Theatre Arts Majors
| THEATR 1070 | Introduction to Cinema | 3 |
| THEATR 1210 | Fundamentals Of Acting | 3 |
| THEATR 1800 | Introduction to Theatre (MOTR THEA 100A) | 3 |
| THEATR 1900 | Introduction to Theatre Technology | 3 |
| THEATR 1910 | Introduction to Theatrical Design | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Emphasis in Acting/Directing
In addition to the required Theatre Arts core curriculum, students must complete the following:
| THEATR 1600 | Voice Ad Diction/Vocal Performance | 3 |
| THEATR 2300 | Stage Management | 3 |
| THEATR 2810 | History of World Theatre and Drama Through the Restoration | 3 |
| THEATR 2820 | History Of World Theatre & Drama from 18Th C To Contemporary Time | 3 |
| THEATR 3257 | Makeup for Theatrical Productions | 2 |
| THEATR 3399 | Stage Combat | 3 |
| THEATR 4900 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Directing | ||
| Ensemble Acting | ||
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
| Acting for the Camera | ||
THEATR 2112 | ||
THEATR 3210 | ||
THEATR 3211 | ||
THEATR 3218 | ||
| Directing for the Camera | ||
| Directing for the Theatre | ||
| Shakespeare: Tragedies and Romances | ||
| Shakespeare: Comedies and Histories | ||
| Practicum 1 | 16 | |
| Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Advanced Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 51 | |
| 1 | At least 8 hours must be at the 3000-level. |
Emphasis in Cinema
In addition to required Theatre Arts core curriculum, students must complete the following:
| THEATR 1080 | Introduction to World Cinema | 3 |
| THEATR 2271 | History of American Film | 3 |
| THEATR 3070 | International Cinema | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Contemporary Cinema | ||
| Survey of Film Genres | ||
| African-American Cinema | ||
| Documentary Film | ||
| Senior Project | ||
| Select five of the following: | 15 | |
| Entertainment Economics: The Movie Industry | ||
| Media Production I | ||
| Video Production I | ||
| Introduction to Digital Multimedia Production | ||
| Live Events Media | ||
| Audio Recording for Live Production | ||
| Acting for the Camera | ||
| Directing for the Camera | ||
THEATR 4271 | ||
| Feature Film Post Production | ||
| Practicum 1 | 10 | |
| Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Advanced Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Theatre Internship | ||
| Total Hours | 40 | |
| 1 | At least 5 hours must be completed at or above the 3000-level. |
Emphasis in Playwriting/Screenwriting
In addition to the required Theatre Arts core curriculum, students must complete the following:
| THEATR 3305 | Writing for Performance | 3 |
| THEATR 2214 | Screenwriting | 3 |
| THEATR 3362 | Storytelling | 3 |
| THEATR 3380 | ||
| THEATR 4270 | Feature Film Writing | 3 |
| THEATR 2112 | ||
| THEATR 2244 | Introduction to Directing | 3 |
| THEATR 2810 | History of World Theatre and Drama Through the Restoration | 3 |
| THEATR 2820 | History Of World Theatre & Drama from 18Th C To Contemporary Time | 3 |
| THEATR 4900 | Senior Project | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Fiction Writing Jumpstart | ||
| Feature Writing | ||
| Novels into Films: The Nineteenth Century | ||
| Stage Management | ||
| Practicum 1 | 10 | |
| Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Advanced Practicum in Performance Studies | ||
| Total Hours | 40 | |
| 1 | At least 5 hours must be completed at the 3000-level. |