Which USC Theatre (Acting) Major Should You Choose?
By: Cherise Clough ‘24
If you are interested in acting or pursuing theatre, then you might be wondering which major is best for you to study while at USC. Between the BA (Bachelor of Arts) Theatre major, the BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) and the emphasis in Acting: it can get pretty confusing. Below, I will be discussing them all and listing a pros and cons list for you. Hopefully, by the end, you’ll be able to make the right decision for yourself!
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre
The BA Theatre major provides you with the freedom to explore and carve your own path. If you’re someone who wants to act and perform, you can definitely mold that into this major. Aside from the core required classes, you have 25 units required of upper-division courses. This allows you to take any performance classes you’re interested in. If you are more interested in design or other technical areas, you can use those same units to take those. The beauty of this major is that no one can force you to take specific classes and dictate when you should. You have total control in choosing your path and focusing on the types of classes you want.
Another great thing is that if you have other interests outside of theatre, you have the flexibility to add a minor or potentially double major. You also have the time to study abroad if that is something that interests you. This major can be adapted to suit your needs and can be tailored to your specific interests. One could choose to take Intermediate Acting II, Basic Voice, Acting for Sitcoms while another student could choose to take classes like Advanced Drafting, Secrets of Storytelling, or Scene Painting within that same major. What’s even better is that if you’re not sure what you want to focus on, or if you want to learn everything, then you’re welcome to do so by taking a mixture of classes.
Pros:
Potential to double major and add minor(s)
Freedom to craft your schedule how you want
Ability to decide what your focus will be (such as design or acting)
Ability to study abroad
Ability to audition for SDA’s (School of Dramatic Arts) shows and student productions (there are SDA shows open to only BA students and students with theatre minors)
Less demanding compared to other theatre majors
Cons:
A very broad major, so it may be difficult to establish a focus
Have to be mindful of choosing your classes
Some classes won’t be required in your major but may serve as prerequisites for the other courses you want to take
A note for transfers: Since this major has the least amount of requirements, it will be the easiest to transfer into this major. It will allow you to add minors or even double major depending on your situation.
A note for upper-division classes: These upper-division classes tend to have prerequisites. You have to make sure you are keeping track of the classes you need to take, so you can get the classes you really want.
To learn more about the BA program, click here.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
The BFA program has several different majors that fall within its category. These include Acting for Stage, Screen and New Media BFA, Musical Theatre BFA, Design BFA, Sound Design BFA, Stage Management BFA, and Technical Direction BFA. To learn more information about each of these programs, you can click here.
The main thing to understand about the BFA program is that it is a conservatory-style of training. Students are being professionally trained and are focusing on mastering the skills required to succeed in the industry. There is only a small cohort accepted into this program each year. This means that if you are applying for a BFA program, your graduating class will encompass an average of 20 students. You will take the exact same classes as your cohort and essentially see and work with them all the time. This is great if you’re someone who enjoys having small communities that you can connect with. For the performers, you have SDA shows that are designated just for you as well.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you are not allowed to double major or add minors to your BFA program. You also aren’t allowed to study abroad. Since the BFA is such a demanding and rigorous program, the goal is that by the end, you would have been trained to industry standards and able to begin working as soon as you graduate. For the BFA performers, you do get a showcase at the end of your senior year which could help you acquire representation. I think the BFA is a great option if you’re extremely passionate about one thing. That way, you can wholly and completely focus on the thing that you love doing without any distractions.
Pros:
Professional technical training
SDA shows for BFA students only
Tight-knit cohort with your classmates
A showcase at the end of senior year
Cons:
Very rigid considering they dictate what classes you take and when
Very demanding
Not allowed to study abroad
Not allowed to double major or add minors
A note for transfers: If you wanted to transfer into a BFA program, you would have to restart as a freshman. This is because the BFA program follows a specific schedule of classes. They do not allow you to transfer into your correct year level even if you have already taken some of the classes.
Bachelor of Arts in Theatre w/ Acting Emphasis
The emphasis essentially allows you to hone in on the acting track (in contrast to the comedy and design tracks) so that you can become skilled in that specific area. It provides you with professional training without you having to be a part of the BFA program.
I like to think of the Acting Emphasis as a nice in-between of the BA and the BFA majors. To me, you get the best of both worlds with this. The acting emphasis allows you to take those specialized acting classes without having a rigidly controlled schedule. In addition to the core courses which are similar to the BA program, you are also required to take 12 units of practice, 8 units in career preparation, and 1 course in movement. The practice category focuses on different techniques with acting. It consists of classes such as Intermediate Acting II, Dialects, Basic Voice, Voice-Over Acting, Performance for Camera, and many more. The Career Preparation category offers classes that will provide you with the tools you need to start your career in the industry. These include classes like The Digital Actor, The Business of Acting, An Actor’s reel, and so forth.
To learn more about the Acting Emphasis you can click here. To learn more about the Comedy Emphsis and the type of classes you would take, click here. To learn more about the Design Emphasis, click here.
Pros:
Receive professional training without the rigidity of a BFA program
Potential to add a minor (or even a double major —depending on your situation)
Ability to study abroad
Advanced technical training built into the curriculum
Flexibility in deciding your classes
SDA shows and student productions
Cons:
More demanding than the BA program
A note for transfers: the emphasis is doable, however, it will take longer than the BA major. Depending on your situation, it might even extend the time you expected to graduate.
A note for applying: You cannot apply for the emphases directly on the Common App. You have to select either BA or BFA. Both can be chosen if you select the BA as your second option. Once you are admitted and enrolled at USC, you can easily apply to add the emphasis to your BA major. The BFA program does not allow you to add an emphasis.
Minors
If you are interested in theatre but don’t want to major in it — do not fear because there are quite a few theatre minors that are available for you to choose from.
You can minor in Theatre, Comedy (Performance), Musical Theatre, Performing Arts Studies, Performing Leadership, Performing Social Change, or Playwriting.
To learn about all the theatre minor options, click here.
If you are not able to major or minor in theatre, you are still welcome to get involved with the independent student productions (ISP) on campus. With this, you can audition to perform in their shows or apply to work as part of their production crew.
My Decision as a Transfer
In regards to the decision I made as a transfer, it was a little tricky. At my previous university, I had studied as a BA Theatre major but found the classes to be limiting. I wanted to be able to take more specialized classes and learn more so I had applied as a junior transfer to USC and got accepted. I was so excited and I had planned to pursue the Acting Emphasis as well as a film minor and dance minor. Yeah, I had big dreams before realizing how big the requirements were for just the Acting Emphasis alone but I knew I still wanted to do it because I was so excited to take all the classes built into the curriculum. These were the classes I was yearning for. I wanted to take all of them. Although I could’ve still taken a few of them with the BA major, I knew I would have to sacrifice some classes for others. I preferred to have all of them built into my program so that I wouldn’t have to spend time deliberating which one I should take over the other — I’m a Libra and I can be very indecisive.
However, the downside to this was that the Acting Emphasis would take longer and I wouldn’t be able to graduate in my expected time frame. This made my decision to pursue the Acting Emphasis very difficult. On one hand, I was excited for the program and all the classes they had to offer but on the other hand, I was worried about graduating behind all of my friends. The idea of graduating late made me feel like a failure. I came to USC to become closer to my dreams — not to feel like I was falling behind everyone else.
I shared my fears with my sister and as the wise sage that she is, she told me that I shouldn’t be comparing my journey to those of others. I’m in this life to make my own path — not just copy what everyone else is doing. In reality, it doesn’t matter when you graduate and it doesn’t matter how long it took you to do it. At the end of the day, what matters is that you did what made you happy.
Sometimes, it’s easy for comparison to cloud my judgments and disguise the things that I really want but if I shut out the thoughts revolving around what others think, then I can listen to what my heart wants. I chose to pursue the Acting Emphasis even though it extended my graduation timeline because it was simply what I wanted.
Conclusion
The bottom line is to listen to yourself when it comes to the things that you enjoy. Try to find a way where you can pursue those things while still remaining true to yourself. If you want to study abroad or double major, then the BA will give you the most flexibility to do that. If you want the conservatory training approach, then the BFA is the one for you. If you’re a transfer — specifically junior transfer — and you want to graduate on time, then the BA is your best bet. Choose whichever option is best for you and remember that I am always rooting for you to find your happy ending.
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