Theater BA: Acting Emphasis

Students in the acting emphasis explore a variety of techniques and approaches to acting, voice and movement with faculty who are leading experts in their field. They also benefit from exposure to the resources and unique opportunities of the Los Angeles arts community.

The UCLA TFT Theater program is not a training conservatory. For those persons who want an immersive professional training program we recommend one of the acclaimed B.F.A. conservatory training programs found across the country. The UCLA TFT Theater program is for the student who sees him/herself as a scholar/artist — one who is eager to learn and wants a great university education from one of the world's major research institutions. Roughly half of the student's classes are in subjects other than theater. This education will prepare the graduate to be an informed citizen of an increasingly complex world, an original and critical thinker, as well as providing one of the best theater educations offered in the country.

The undergraduate acting emphasis is a minimum of six-quarter related performance classes that begin in sophomore year. Junior transfer students enter their junior year and complete a minimum of four-quarter related performance classes. Related performance courses consist of acting, voice/speech and movement classes. All undergraduate students in the department (from any emphasis) are able to audition for most departmental undergraduate productions.

Students admitted to the major in the acting emphasis are not guaranteed a place in the acting classes each quarter. All emphasis classes require instructor consent to enroll. The faculty may elect to not continue a student in the emphasis at any time. This could be due to poor performance, poor citizenship (excessive absences, not working up to the standards of the class, poor grades in the class, etc.). In this situation the student would no longer have a emphasis but would still graduate on time with a degree in Theater.

Like all other undergraduate emphases, this is not a "major." There is no "acting major." All undergraduates in the program are theater majors and graduate with a bachelor of arts (B.A.) degree in Theater.

Students in the UCLA TFT Department of Theater cannot change their major to the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at any time in their four years here. Nor can they change from their emphasis into the acting or musical theater emphases.