College Level Requirements

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State Mandated Common Course Prerequisites

For students transferring from a Florida College System institution: Students are encouraged to complete the A.A. degree at a Florida College System institution. Some courses required for the major may also meet Foundations of Knowledge and Learning Requirements thereby transferring maximum hours to the university. If a student wishes to transfer without an A.A. degree and has fewer than 60 semester hours of acceptable credit, the student must meet the university’s entering freshman requirements including ACT or SAT test scores, GPA, and course requirements. Please be aware of the immunization, foreign language, and continuous enrollment policies of the university. This is a non-limited access program with the courses below recommended.

Students need not have completed a concentration of courses in theatre in order to consider a Theatre major at USF. However, admission to the upper-level Theatre Performance program is by audition and admission to the upper-level Design sequence is by portfolio review. If the student does not succeed in passing the audition or portfolio review certain Theatre program requirements may have to be repeated until successful completion of the audition or portfolio review can be achieved.

Students should complete the following prerequisite courses listed below at the lower level prior to entering the university. If these courses are not taken at a Florida College System institution, they must be completed before the degree is granted. Unless stated otherwise, a grade of C is the minimum acceptable grade. A C average in the major is required for graduation.

If students are coming to the university from a Florida College System institution, the following prerequisite courses will be accepted as meeting lower level requirements.

• THE X000 Any introductory course from THE X001-X035 (3 credit hours)
• THE X300 or THE X305 (3 credit hours)
• THE X925 (1 credit hour)
• TPA X290 (1 credit hour)
• TPA X200 or TPA X210 (3 credit hours)
• TPP X190 or TPP X110 (3 credit hours)
• Any combination THE, TPA and TPP course (9 credit hours)

Total Major Hours: 48 Hours

Major Core

Major Core Courses - 33 Hours

First Year (14 credit hours):

• THE 2020 Introduction to Theatre
• TPP 2110 Acting I
• TPA 2200 Introduction to Technical Theatre I
• TPA 2290L Technical Theatre Lab I
• TPA 2211 Introduction to Technical Theatre II or TPA 2220 Introduction to Technical Theatre III
• TPA 2291L Technical Theatre Lab II or TPA 2220L Technical Theatre Lab III

Second Year (8 credit hours):

• THE 2305 Script Analysis
• THE 3110 Theatre History I or THE 3111 Theatre History II
• TPA 2292 Production Involvement I
• TPP 2190 Studio Theatre Performance I

Third Year (8 credit hours):

• Choose two Theatre History/Literature Courses from the following list:
  • THE 3110 Theatre History I
  • THE 3111 Theatre History II
  • THE 4174 New British Theatre and Drama
  • THE 4180 Theatre Origins
  • THE 4330 Shakespeare for the Theatre
  • THE 4401 American Drama
  • THE 4434 Caribbean Theatre
  • THE 4480 Drama Special Topics
  • TPA 4293 Production Involvement II
  • TPP 4193 Studio Theatre Performance II
  Note: By prior agreement between the director and instructor the Honors sequence in its entirety (THE 4593, 4594, 4595) may substitute for one Theatre History/Literature course requirement.
• TPA 4293 Production Involvement II
• TPP 4193 Studio Theatre Performance II

Fourth Year (3 credit hours):

• THE 4562 Contemporary Performance Theory

Concentration Core Courses - 15 Hours

• TPP 2500 Movement for Actors
• TPP 3790 Voice for Actors
• TPP 3155 Acting II
• TPP 4180 Acting III
• TPP 4140 Styles of Acting

Additional Major Requirements

Major Requirements

Audition and Portfolio Review: All students desiring admittance into the upper level acting courses must audition and those entering the upper level design sequence must present a portfolio. This normally occurs after the completion of the sophomore year.

Major Residency Requirement

A minimum of 20 credit hours in the major must be earned in residence.

Research Opportunities

All undergraduate students in any degree program can participate in undergraduate research. There are a number of options to receive academic credit for a mentored research experience and to have the experience show on the official transcript. Students who wish to enroll in an undergraduate research course should consult with their academic advisor to understand how the credit will apply towards the degree requirements. If no credit is needed, students may be eligible to enroll in the 0-credit IDS 2912 or IDS 4914 courses. These courses will not impact degree credits or GPA but will show on an official transcript and document the experience. The Office for Undergraduate Research will assist students in understanding the various course options.

Optional Honors Program

The School Honors Program allows small select groups of upper-division students to work on special projects with faculty and guest artists for up to one year. The Honors Program is available to upper level majors who have a 3.5 GPA in the major and a 3.2 overall GPA and who have achieved a comparably high level of artistic or scholarly achievement. A 6-8 credit one-year sequence of courses is offered to students accepted into the Honors Program. The sequence progresses from a reading seminar to a guest artist practicum to a student thesis or project. With approval of director and instructor, the entire Honors sequence may substitute for one of the Theatre History/Literature requirements.