The Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater provides a liberal arts education and pre-professional training in a comprehensive program that uniquely combines the study of the arts, humanities and sciences with exploration of the principle areas of theater practice.

The program is designed to insure that students graduate with a sound humanistic and experiential base for further pursuits in education and in life beyond the university.

The comprehensive program in theater combines a critical study of theater with experiential practice in one or more of its component parts. Students explore the various areas of theater to build a foundation for future creative work.

Students may apply to the Theater Major as freshman or transfer students.

Undergraduate Theater Elective Sequences:

• Acting
• Design / Production
• Directing
• General Theater Studies
• Musical Theater
• Playwriting
• Teaching Artists Program

If you are a UCLA student and interested in changing your major to Theater, please click here.

Honors

To receive Dean's Honors in the School of Theater, Film and Television, you must have at least 12 graded units per term with a grade-point average of 3.8 for less than 16 units of work (3.7 GPA for 16 or more units.) The honor is posted on your transcript for the appropriate term. You are NOT eligible for Dean's Honors in any given term, if you receive an Incomplete or Not Passed (NP) grade, change a grade or repeat a course.

LATIN HONORS

Honors at graduation are awarded to students with superior grade point averages. To be eligible, you must have completed 90 or more units for a letter grade at the University of California.

Questions?
If you have any other questions, please see the FAQ, call 310-206-8441, or send an email to theaterundergrad@.tft.ucla.edu.

At the upper division level, students choose from an array of advanced elective courses allowing them to specialize in an area such as acting, design, or musical theater.

The four-year degree program consists of five sets of curricular requirements:

• Theater Major Requirements
• General Education Requirements in conjunction with this Course List
• School of Theater, Film, and Television Requirements
• University Requirements
• Theater Elective Sequence Requirements (Acting, Design / Production, Directing, General Theater Studies, Musical Theater, Playwriting, Teaching Artists Program)

In the first year of the program students are immersed in the "freshman experience" (fall and winter quarters). In the fall quarter all freshman are together for:

• Tai Chi
• Theater 12 Introduction to Performance
• Theater 13 Play Reading and Analysis
• Theater 14a Scenic Design

All freshmen are encouraged to take ballet in the first year! The department counselors will enroll all theater freshmen in their classes and studios. In the fall quarter freshmen are not allowed to take any courses other than these.

In addition to the above, in the winter quarter, all theater freshmen are together for:

• Tai-Chi
•  Theater 11 Approaches to Interpretation of Theater and Performance
• Theater 14b Costume Design

Freshmen can add Theater 15 directing, ballet, and perhaps a general elective course (or two) to their class lists.

In the spring quarter, all theater freshmen take Theater 14c Lighting Design. They can also include Theater 160 Advanced Directing, and ballet. In this quarter freshmen are highly encouraged to take general elective courses and other university and school requirements for a minimum of 12 units.

In the sophomore year students are required to take a year of theater history as well as begin their elective (acting, design, playwriting, etc.) sequence courses (acting classes begin in the winter quarter of the sophomore year and continue on through the spring quarter of the senior year). Also, students continue to take classes which fulfill their other requirements as described in the list above. Students are expected to have completed half of their general elective courses by the end of the sophomore year.

Theater students also must begin their crew assignments in the sophomore year. Four crews (8 units total) are required. Four of these units can be satisfied by acting in certain productions.

All Theater students who enter the program as freshmen are required to participate in a four-to six-week intensive Summer Undergraduate Theater Laboratory between the sophomore and junior years at UCLA. Depending on the student’s elective sequence, each laboratory offers courses, workshops, and master classes which focus specifically on areas of concentration. The Summer Undergraduate Theater Laboratory is a complete immersion experience in a highly intense learning environment that integrates performance, technique, and research classes.

The junior and senior years build upon the sophomore year with more advanced courses in each of the sequences.

Junior transfer students must take the year-long theater history course series in the junior year if they do not transfer in with an upper division equivalent. Junior transfer students might also find that they have to "make-up" certain UCLA theater freshmen courses if they do not transfer in with an equivalent course from their previous college(s).

If you are a UCLA student and interested in changing your major to Theater, please click here.

The School of Theater, Film and Television only accepts applications once a year for the Fall Quarter. Steps for applying for Fall 2013 are listed below.

There are 3 STEPS to the UCLA Theater application process:

1. Submit your University of California Application for Undergraduate Admission online between the November 1 and November 30 deadline. You will receive a UC Application ID number. Keep track of this number, as you will need it to sign up for your interview/audition appointment!

When applying to the UCLA Undergraduate Theater program, please note the following:

• You must select "Theater" as your 1st choice major on the UC Application. If you need to change your first choice major, please notify us by email at audition@tft.ucla.edu. If you put Theater as anything but your 1st choice, your application will not be considered by the Theater Department.
• If you are interested in the Directing Elective Sequence, indicate General Theater Studies on your UC application.
• Do not apply to the Theater major if you are planning to transfer to the Film/Television major. It is impossible to transfer to the Film/Television major if you are a Theater major.
• If you have already submitted your UC Application but cannot locate your UC Application ID number, you can get it from the Application Acknowledgement letter you received from the University of California Application Processing Service, or by visiting The UC Application Status site.

2. Submit the required supplemental materials on or before January 31, 2013. For information on the required supplemental materials, click here.

3. Visit the Interview/Audition Tour web site after January 3, 2013, schedule your required interview/audition appointment, and pay the Interview/Audition Fee.   Note that you will NOT be able to schedule your appointment before January 1st. You must have your UC Application ID number to schedule your interview/audition. You can view the interview/audition dates and locations by clicking here.

An interview is required of all applicants. Acting and Musical Theater applicants are required to audition AND interview. Be sure to review the requirements for your area of interest.

An information session for applicants and their parents or guardians will be held during the first hour of the scheduled interview/audition time and will include a discussion of the requirements of the major. (You do not need to schedule additional time for this.) Please allow 6 hours total for your interview/audition day.

Applicants are advised that acting/musical theater auditions may require strenuous physical activities with inherent risks of bodily injury. By participating in auditions, applicants assume all risks of such activities and understand that UCLA shall not be responsible for any resulting injuries applicants may receive.

UCLA Change of Major Applicants

Current UCLA students interested in changing majors to Theater, please click here.

If you have audition questions not answered on our FAQs site, please call us at (310) 206-4418, or send an email to audition@tft.ucla.edu.

If you have application questions, please call us at (310) 206-8441, or send an email to theaterundergrad@tft.ucla.edu.

PLEASE NOTE: There will be a turnaround response time of 48 hours (or within the next two business days) for all telephone and e-mail inquiries. Please visit this web site regularly for updates and other important information.

For U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents interested in receiving financial aid in the 2013-2014 year, note that the Fellowship Application and Financial Aid Application (FAFSA) deadline for UCLA is March 2, 2013. Applicants must complete the FAFSA by this date if they want to be eligible for all awards, work-study, and fellowships that UCLA offers.

Please visit our FAQ page for if you have additional questions