What is the Difference Between a BFA and a BA in Theatre?
If you want to major in theatre in college, you have an important choice to make: do you go for a BFA or a BA? Some schools, like Dean College, offer both, allowing you to choose between these two distinct programs based on which you think will best fit your needs and future goals.
How do you know which one is best? And what’s the different between a BA and a BFA? Here’s what you need to know.
Do You Want an Intensive Program?
If you want to spend the majority of your time onstage getting in performance time or offstage honing your acting, improv and singing skills, then a BFA in theatre might just be the right program for you. Short for Bachelor of Fine Arts, these degrees tend to be more performance intensive than their standard Bachelor of Arts counterparts. Courses will consist of acting, theatre movement and kinesiology, understanding stage directions, singing, and more. At Dean College, you can choose a BFA with a specialization in either acting or musical theatre.
Is Your Goal to Be Onstage?
For those who want to be onstage and only onstage, acting and singing their hearts out, then a BFA is the way to go. Since the intensive focus is on acting skills and voice lessons, you’ll be all set for a job on or off Broadway. Students in these programs will focus quite a bit on their onstage skills, preparing themselves for a job as a professional actor.
Do You Prefer a Backstage Job?
Students who really don’t want to be onstage, but love the theatre, may find themselves wanting to work backstage. There are plenty of jobs to be had behind the scenes, including costume designers, set designers, lighting directors, music directors, producers and more. Those who fit into this category will be better off with a BA, or Bachelor of Arts, in theatre, as the focus is less performance intensive and more preparatory for those behind-the-scenes jobs. For example, at Dean College, students in the BA theatre degree program can choose between theatre studies and production and design as a specialization.
What About a Well-Rounded Education?
Although students at a liberal arts college, like Dean College, will have to take some classes that fall into the general education requirements category, those who are in a BFA program need to take fewer of them. This is due to the fact that their programs are more intensive. On the other hand, students in a BA program will take more general education courses and gain more of a well-rounded education.
Choosing the Right Theatre Degree
With two options to choose from, either a BFA or a BA in theatre, students have the chance to learn exactly what they want when they enroll at Dean College. Since both programs teach the skills that they need in order to succeed in the wide world of theatre, students will be all set to meet their career goals once they graduate. Ready to take the next step? Request more information, today.