Studies & Degrees in Theatre, Performing Arts
Theatre, Performing Arts Study Programs
Theatre and performing arts cover the making of live performance: acting, directing, playwriting, stage and costume design, lighting and sound, stage management and production. Many programmes also include musical theatre, physical theatre and work for screen, and some combine theatre with dance, film or television. A student chooses early between two broad sides of the subject: performing, and everything that happens around the performer.
Courses are practical. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) notes that students preparing for an acting career take classes in areas such as acting, movement, characterisation, voice and audition techniques. Design and technical students learn scenography, costume, lighting and technical direction, and all students study theatre history and the analysis of plays. Taking part in productions is normally compulsory: at DeSales University, for example, theatre students must take part as actors or crew members in all productions of the university's own company.
Qualifications and levels
There are two main kinds of training: university degrees, which combine practice with academic study, and conservatoire or drama school training, which is more intensive and vocational. The names and length depend on the country.
- United States and Canada. The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Theatre is a broad degree; the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) is a more specialised, performance or design-centred degree, usually entered by audition or portfolio. At graduate level there are the Master of Arts (M.A.) and the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.). The Penn State School of Theatre offers a B.F.A. in Acting, a B.F.A. in Musical Theatre, a B.A. and a B.F.A. in Theatre and an M.F.A. in Theatre; Binghamton University offers a BA in Theatre, a BFA in Musical Theatre and an MA in Theatre; San Diego State University has B.A. options in performance, design and technology and youth theatre, and M.A. and M.F.A. degrees. In Canada, the University of the Fraser Valley describes its Bachelor of Arts in Theatre as a four-year programme that combines performance studies and creative practice.
- United Kingdom. A bachelor's degree with honours normally takes three years. The BA (Hons) Drama at Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge takes three years, or four with a placement year or a foundation year. Alongside universities there are drama schools; the Federation of Drama Schools brings together established conservatoire training providers and gives information on auditions and applications.
- Spain. Dramatic art belongs to the higher arts education system (enseñanzas artísticas superiores), not to the universities. Royal Decree 630/2010 sets four academic years of 60 credits each, 240 credits in total, in three specialities: stage direction and dramaturgy, scenography, and acting. The qualifications are official and valid throughout Spain, and the studies are taken at higher schools of dramatic art. Admission requires a specific entrance test for each speciality, which assesses maturity, knowledge and aptitude. Private acting studios, such as arte4 estudio de actores in Madrid, offer their own training; ask each school what recognition its qualification has.
Where to study theatre and performing arts
SpainExchange lists 291 active schools for this subject. Most are in the United States (181), followed by the United Kingdom (20), Canada (11), Spain (10), Brazil (6), France (6) and Australia (4); Ireland, Mexico, Argentina and Costa Rica also have schools.
Theatre is taught in the language of the stage it prepares for: English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland and Australia, Spanish in Spain and Latin America. For acting, command of the language matters more than in most subjects, because voice and text work are part of the assessment. Design, technical theatre and production depend less on accent and are easier to study in a second language.
When comparing schools, look at how admission works (audition, portfolio or interview), how many productions students take part in each year, which specialisations exist, and whether the qualification is an official degree in its country.
Careers
Graduates work as actors, directors, playwrights, set, costume and lighting designers, stage managers, technicians, producers, arts administrators and drama teachers, in theatre, film, television and events. DeSales University, for instance, includes arts administration and education among the tracks of its theatre degree.
Work in the performing arts is competitive and often freelance. For the United States, BLS projects that employment of actors will show little or no change from 2025 to 2035, with about 6,300 openings a year, and points out that a degree is not usually required for acting, although most actors have some formal preparation. For producers and directors, who typically need a bachelor's degree, BLS projects growth of 4 percent over the same period.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a degree to become an actor?
Not formally. According to BLS, a degree is not usually required, but most actors have some formal preparation, such as an acting conservatory or a university drama or theatre programme.
What is the difference between a B.A. and a B.F.A. in theatre?
Both are bachelor's degrees in the United States. The B.A. is broader and leaves room for other subjects; the B.F.A. concentrates on professional training in one area, such as acting or musical theatre. Penn State, for example, offers both.
How is dramatic art organised in Spain?
As official higher arts studies of four years and 240 credits, in three specialities: stage direction and dramaturgy, scenography, and acting. Entry is through a specific entrance test for each speciality.
Is there an audition?
Often. Performance programmes usually select by audition and design programmes by portfolio; in Spain the entrance test is set by regulation. Check the admission pages of each school well before the deadline.