Musical Theatre, B.F.A.

Students must fulfill the Oakland University General Education Requirements, the General College of Arts and Sciences requirements, the College of Arts and Sciences Exploratory requirement, and the Major Requirements. Additionally, students must complete a sufficient number of free elective courses to meet the overall credit requirement for their degree. A minimum of 120 credits is required, although some degree programs may require a higher total credit count.

Musical Theatre, B.F.A. majors are exempt from the College of Arts and Sciences College Exploratory requirement.

Schedule of Classes

Specific offerings for each semester may be found in the Schedule of Classes.

General Education Requirements

In order to graduate on-schedule without taking additional courses, it is highly recommended that students meet with an Undergraduate Academic Adviser concerning the selection of all of their general education courses.

Each candidate for an Oakland University baccalaureate will need to satisfactorily complete approved courses in each of the following areas: Foundations, Explorations, and Integration. For details, refer to the General Education Requirements section of the catalog.

Requirements for the major in Musical Theatre, B.F.A.

Admission to the theatre degree programs

Admission to the theatre department at Oakland University (OU) is a two-tiered process. The first step in the process for all students is the entrance audition. These auditions are held several times a year and determine whether or not a student will be admitted to OU in any theatre degree programs. The second step is the major standing audition/portfolio review, which determines whether students may continue in the program, and which degree program they will pursue. More information on the major standing audition/portfolio review can be found below under “Non-credit requirements.”

Entrance auditions

Entrance audition days are held several times each year. Students should be prepared to demonstrate proficiency in their proposed area of specialization. The audition schedule, audition requirements and entrance application are available on the School of Music, Theatre and Dance website.

Students seeking admission to Oakland University as acting majors must audition for the theatre faculty.
Students who audition and do not enroll within two semesters must re-audition.
Students who enroll and leave school for at least two semesters must re-audition.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is intended for students who wish pre-professional and professional preparation in dance, musical theatre, acting, and theatre design and technology. Students must successfully complete the events attendance requirement and the senior interview (for more information, see below under “Non-credit requirements”). Students should consult with their theatre faculty advisor and departmental advisor in the College of Arts and Sciences Advising Office to plan their degree program. Only major courses in which a grade of at least a C has been earned will count towards the major.

Requirements - minimum of 83 credits

Musical Theatre Performance Courses

THA 1002 - Musical Theatre Performance Lab (0) (first year - 2 semesters, second year - 2 semesters for a total of 4 semesters)
THA 1012 - Musical Theatre Performance (3)
THA 2012 - Musical Theatre Performance II (3)
THA 3012 - Musical Theatre Performance III (3)
THA 4012 - Musical Theatre Performance IV (3)

Stage Voice & Movement Courses

Acting Courses

Music Theory Courses

Voice Technique Courses

MUA 1000 - Voice (1 TO 2) (2 semesters, 4 credits)
MUA 2000 - Voice (1 OR 2) (2 semesters, 4 credits)
MUA 3000 - Voice (1 TO 4) (2 semesters, 4 credits)
MUA 3001 - Vocal Coaching for Singers (1) (6 credits total: 4 credits in third year and 2 credits in fourth year)

Dance Courses

Only the first attempt of the following DAN courses can count toward the Dance Courses requirement. For DAN courses that are repeated, subsequent credit will not be applied toward the Dance requirement of the Musical Theatre, BFA.

DAN 1003 - Fundamentals of Ballet Technique I (2) (or placement)
DAN 2003 - Fundamentals of Ballet Technique II (2) (or placement)
DAN 3273 - Dance for Musical Theatre (2)
DAN 3274 - Dance for Music Theatre II (2)
Two DAN technique courses selected from the following:
DAN 1006 - Fundamentals of Tap (2)
DAN 1013 - Fundamentals of Modern Techniques (2)
DAN 1220 - Jazz Dance (2)
DAN 2222 - Urban Dance - Hip Hop Styles (2)

Production Courses

THA 1020 - Stagecraft (2) or THA 1021 - Costume Craft (2) or THA 1023 - Costume Construction (2)
THA 3023 - Stage Makeup (2)

History Courses

THA 3001 - Theatre History I (3) or THA 3002 - Theatre History II (3) (satisfies the general education requirement for arts)
THA 3005 - History of American Musical Theatre (3)

Theatre Performance/Production Practica - minimum of 4 credits

THA 2025 - Design, Production and Management Project (1) - Taken in the first year, students are assigned as backstage crew in both Fall and winter semesters of their first year.

A minimum of 2 courses selected from (can be repeated)

THA 2020 - Performance Project (1)
THA 2095 - Company Class (1)
THA 3031 - Stage Manager Project (1)
THA 4007 - Advanced Directing Project (1)
THA 4020 - Advanced Performance Projects (1)
THA 4031 - Dramaturgy/Assistant Director Project (1)
THA 4051 - Nightclub Cabaret Acts (1)
THA 4095 - Advanced Company Class (1)
THA 4950 - Internship (1 TO 4)

Professional Development Courses

THA 4052 - Professional Practices for the Performer (2) - satisfies the general education requirement for capstone.
THA 4054 - Senior Presentation to the Profession (1) - satisfies the general education requirement for capstone.

Theatre Elective Courses - 6 credits

Elective coursework chosen from the subject areas DAN, FLM, MUA/MUE voice classes, MUS and THA; THA 1000 is excluded.

Non-credit requirements

Major standing - Students at the end of their second semester of study audition or present their portfolios to faculty to gain official entrance into the department. Students can pass and be placed into a major, be deferred and given another semester to attempt major standing, or be denied entrance into the department.
Senior interview - Students in their last semester are required to write about their experiences in the department over the course of their study-both as a student and a theatre artist. They meet with faculty to assess their growth as a scholar and artist during their time at Oakland University.
Events attendance requirement - Students must see at least 10 academic or professional performing arts events each year (40 performances over 4 years of study). Each year, 4 of these performances may be substituted with service-learning projects in underserved communities (up to 16 projects over 4 years of study). These performances and projects must be approved in consultation with the student’s theatre advisor.

Applicable Minors

All Minors are applicable to this major with the exception of the following Minor(s): Child Welfare, International Orientation for EGR/CS, and Sustainability Engineering.