Theater majors pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree are encouraged to maintain wide-ranging interests within the school and throughout the university’s extensive offerings. BA students can organize their advanced work within a chosen area of theater or elect to include advanced level theater classes in several areas of emphasis. Bachelor of Arts students must use some/all general electives to complete a minor, double major, double degree, intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language, or 12 credits of advanced standing coursework towards an accelerated Masters of Arts degree in Arts Management.

Admissions

Entrance to the program is by audition/interview or portfolio review. Information about the audition process, including dates, can be found on the School of Theater website.

Admission to the university is determined by the Admissions Office. University-wide admissions policies can be found in the Undergraduate Admissions Policies section of this catalog.

Policies

For policies governing all undergraduate degrees, see AP.5 Undergraduate Policies.

Banner Code: AR-BA-THR

Degree Requirements

Total credits: 120

Mason Core

Foundation Requirements
Oral Communication3
Information Technology3
Quantitative Reasoning3
ENGH 101Composition (Mason Core) 13
ENGH 302Advanced Composition (Mason Core) 13
Core Requirements
Literature3
Arts 23
Natural Science 37
Global History3
Global Contexts3
Social and Behavioral Sciences3
Total Credits37
1

Nonnative speakers of English with limited proficiency in the language may substitute ENGH 100 for ENGH 101. Students must attain a minimum grade of C in ENGH 100 or ENGH 101, as well as in ENGH 302, to fulfill degree requirements.

2

Course must fall outside the major.

3

Must include at least one laboratory science course.

Major

Theater Core Requirements

Note: THR majors may not double count THR courses within the major. All THR courses count either towards the degree core or the upper-division electives in the major, but not both.

THR 150Global Theater Histories I (Mason Core)3
THR 151Global Theater Histories II (Mason Core)3
THR 196Production Practicum1
THR 198Construction or Admin Practicum1
THR 199Production Run Crew Practicum1
THR 210Acting I (Mason Core)3
THR 230Fundamentals of Production (Mason Core)3
THR 240Introduction to Theatrical Design3
THR 329Directing3
or THR 338 Production Stage Management
THR 350Script Analysis (Mason Core)3
THR 351Dramatic Theory and Criticism (Mason Core)3
Apex3
Advanced Studies in Directing/Dramaturgy (Mason Core)
Text in Production (Mason Core)
Dramatic Literature3
Select one course from the following: 1
Dramatic Literature Seminar
Advanced Studies in Theater History
American Voices
World Stages (Mason Core)
Contemporary Women Playwrights
Total Credits33
1

or with permission of Director

Electives in the Major

Theater Majors must complete 21 credits of upper-division (300-400 level) THR coursework not already applied to the major. Students may elect to pursue an academic track in Design & Technical Theater, Directing & Dramaturgy, Performance, Performance Studies, or Playwriting.21
Total Credits21

General Electives

BA students must use some/all general electives to complete one of the following options:

Minor15-21
Double Major 1Minimum of 18 unique credits
Double Degree 1Minimum of 30 unique credits
Intermediate-level proficiency in one foreign language0-12
Accelerated MA in Arts Management (Required courses to be taken in advanced standing: AMGT 601, AMGT 602, AMGT 604, and AMGT 605) 212
Remaining electives to achieve 120 total credits 30-29
Total Credits29
1

Must be outside the student's major field of study.

2

Students must be accepted into the accelerated Master’s in Arts Management program. If accepted, AMGT 601, AMGT 602, AMGT 604, and AMGT 605 must be completed as advanced standing credits for completion of BA degree requirements. All GR coursework requires a grade of B or better. See the Accelerated Master's tab above for more details.  

3

May be taken inside or outside of the department. All students are required to complete a minimum of 45 credits of upper-division courses (300 and 400 level).

Bachelors of Arts in Theatre Sample Plan of Study 

The sample plan below is a recommended sequencing of courses based on pre-requisites and scheduling. This may not fit every student's needs and is a guideline, not a requirement. Students should confirm major requirements with their academic advisor and with PatriotWeb Degree Evaluation to ensure they enroll in the proper courses and are on track to graduate.

First Year
Fall SemesterCreditsSpring SemesterCredits
THR 1503THR 1513
THR 2103THR 2403
THR 2303Mason Core3
Mason Core3Mason Core3
Mason Core3Mason Core3
 Practicum1
 15 16
Second Year
Fall SemesterCreditsSpring SemesterCredits
THR 3503THR 329 or UPPER LEVEL THR ELECTIVE3
Upper Level THR Elective3THR 3513
Mason Core3Mason Core3
Mason Core3Mason Core3
General Elective3General Elective3
 Practicum1
 15 16
Third Year
Fall SemesterCreditsSpring SemesterCredits
THR 338 or UPPER LEVEL THR ELECTIVE3Dramatic Literature or Upper Level THR Elective 3
Dramatic Literature or Upper Level THR Elective3Upper Level THR Elective3
Upper Level THR Elective3Mason Core (suggested Lab Science)4
Mason Core3General Elective3
General Elective3Practicum1
 15 14
Fourth Year
Fall SemesterCreditsSpring SemesterCredits
THR 440 or MC APEX (THR 440 OR THR 496) OR MC ENGH 3023THR 440 (MC Apex (THR 440 or THR 496) OR MC ENGH 302 )3
Upper Level THR Elective3Upper Level THR Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective3
General Elective3General Elective2
 15 14
Total Credits 120

Detailed four year plans and degree planning checklists can be found at https://cvpa.gmu.edu/academics/undergraduate-student-resources.

Honors in the Major

Highly-qualified students who have completed 75 credits may pursue advanced work leading to graduation with honors in the major. Students apply for Honors in Theater by submitting to the Director (by November 15 or April 15) a two-page written statement outlining their reasons for pursuing advanced coursework and specific professional goals, along with the names of two Mason theater faculty members who have agreed to serve as references.

Students satisfy the honors course sequence by taking three honors-specific courses from their chosen concentration. They must also maintain an overall GPA of 3.50 and a GPA of 3.75 within the major.

Theater, BA/Arts Management, Accelerated MA

Overview

Academically strong undergraduates in Theater may apply to the accelerated Master’s Degree in Arts Management.  If accepted, students will be able to earn a Theater, BA and an Arts Management, MA after satisfactory completion of 150 credits. 

For more detailed information, see AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees. For policies governing all graduate degrees, see AP.6 Graduate Policies.  

BAM Pathway Admission Requirements

Applicants to all graduate programs at George Mason University must meet the admission standards and application requirements for graduate study as specified in the Graduate Admission Policies section of this catalog. 

Students are eligible to apply for this accelerated program once they have earned at least 60 undergraduate credits. After successfully completing 75 undergraduate credits, students must use at least 3 and no more than 12 credits of advanced standing courses (see below) to both complete the bachelor’s degree and begin the masters. An additional six credits may be held in reserve for the master’s degree, but cannot be used to complete the bachelors.

Important information on how to apply for this accelerated master's program can be found in the University’s Accelerated Master’s Application Guide. 

Accelerated Master's Admission Requirements

Undergraduate students admitted to the accelerated master’s program pathway will be fully admitted into the MA program if they meet the following requirements, as verified on the Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Transition Form

  • Minimum overall GPA of 3.00 
  • Completion of specific undergraduate coursework 
  • Successfully meet Mason’s requirements for undergraduate degree conferral (graduation) and complete the application for graduation 
  • Minimum grade of B in each advanced standing course
  • Submission of BAM Transition Form to Office of the University Registrar at the beginning of student’s final undergraduate semester  

Accelerated Pathway Requirements

To maintain the integrity and quality of both the undergraduate and graduate degree programs, undergraduate students in the Accelerated Pathway must choose from the following courses which can be taken as  Advanced Standing or Reserve Graduate credit.  A minimum grade of B is required.

Advanced Standing courses (up to 12 credits with a minimum grade of B in each)
AMGT 602Seminar in Arts Management3
AMGT 601Fund Raising/Development I3
AMGT 604Public Relations and Marketing Strategies for the Arts I3
AMGT 605Finance and Budgeting for Arts I3
Reserve Graduate Credit courses (up to 6 credits) taken while an undergraduate and will only count for the graduate degree program
AMGT 603The Arts in Society 13
AMGT 606Governance and Financial Management 23
1

Prerequisite: AMGT 602 Seminar in Arts Management

2

Prerequisite: AMGT 605 Finance and Budgeting for Arts I

For more detailed information on coursework and timeline requirements, see  AP.6.7 Bachelor's/Accelerated Master's Degrees.