Theatre, BFA: Production

Overview

Our theatre production degree provides students with a fully customizable education that lets you decide your focus for deep learning. We balance technology and management training with artistic exploration so your creativity can really shine.

Starting with your first year, you’ll gain hands-on experience creating production elements for public performances. This immerses students in the collaborative process immediately and empowers you as a creative early in your academic career. You don’t get that kind of opportunity everywhere, and because our faculty are engaged in the industry, your experience is informed by the latest technology and techniques in the profession. You can also shadow faculty in their work or join them as an assistant – a great way to expand your network.

Our state-of-the-art facilities, including fully staffed shops with industry-standard equipment, provide you with ample opportunities to put skills into practice. Some examples include advanced training with CNC routers; 3D printing; wig lofting; ETC EOS control boards; Vectorworks; QLab and Nomad software; and entertainment rigging essentials such as Thomas Truss, CM Classic ½ hoists and Skjonberg control units.

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Faculty and Staff

Our inspirational faculty and staff make sure students feel welcome and empowered to think outside the box and explore all possibilities of making art at UWM. Visit the Peck School of the Arts directory to meet these artists, explore their biographies and engage with recent work.

Scholarships and Aid 

Financial constraints shouldn’t hinder your artistic dreams. Our comprehensive range of scholarships and aid programs is designed to empower and support artists like you.

Study Abroad

We believe that a complete education in the arts should take you beyond the classroom and the local community. By studying abroad, you’ll gain more than a change of scenery. You’ll embark on a transformative educational experience and bring a global perspective to your field of study. Explore upcoming trips offered in partnership with the Center for International Education.

Requirements 

Credit Overview

Preparatory Coursework

Based on individual placement results, some students may be required to complete preparatory coursework before enrolling in the courses listed here. This may include English language or composition preparation, developmental math, introductory chemistry, and/or student support courses for students participating in the First Year Bridge program. 

General Education Requirements (GER)

UW-Milwaukee has General Education Requirements that must be met in order to earn a bachelor’s or associate degree. They include at minimum 30 credits (10 courses) in six categories that are designed to assure basic student competencies and provide a broad body of knowledge as a context for specialization.

Some degree requirements may fulfill GERs. Please review the requirements and consult with your academic advisor.   

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate applicants must meet general University admission requirements in addition to specific Peck School of the Arts requirements.

Advance to Major and Retention

Credits and Courses

Arts Requirements

Theatre Department Core 

Major Requirements

Undergraduate Advising

Academic advising is a collaborative process that empowers students to realize their maximum educational potential. Students are encouraged to visit the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page to meet with your advisor prior to each semester’s registration period. Advisors provide students with individualized appointments to assist with degree requirements, course selection, campus resources, college success strategies, graduation assessment, academic policies and more.

Sample Plan of Study

Theatre, BFA: Production Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Theatre, BFA: Production program will be able to: 

• Use essential theories of theatrical production and performance and apply them effectively for artistic expression. 
• Utilize and express the elements of design through aesthetic awareness and fabrication processes. 
• Execute a personal artistic process for productive work in theatrical production. 
• Articulate and derive contemporary solutions from applicable elements of a variety of theatrical performance and production styles. 
• Function effectively, productively, and cooperatively within a team of production artists engaging in an artform fully dependent upon true collaboration. 
• Analyze, devise, design and execute fabrication and generation processes required to create practical theatrical production content based on a designer’s vision. 
• Analyze a play’s content, design criteria and performance style and execute those elements to successfully educate and entertain an audience through the storytelling.  
• Execute all basic technical processes and artisanal skills in the areas of Costuming, Stage Management and Technical Production.  
• Engage in effective verbal and non-verbal communication with other theatrical artists. 
• Engage empathetically by exploring their own and others worldview to create respectful, ethical, and accessible environments to create diverse works of theatre. 
• Apply personal criteria and critical thought when evaluating their own and others current work and identify new directions for future work. 
• Employ the modes of behavior historically observed by artisans, engineers and designers working in the professional entertainment industry. 
• Present themselves confidently for professional employment in a variety of interview and portfolio review formats. 

Policies and Regulations

Academic Regulations

For information on University-wide Academic Action Policy and honors for scholarship, see Academic Policies.

Auditing Courses

No studio or performance courses may be audited. 

Grievance and Appeal Procedures

If you have concerns about a class or a grade, or if you’ve been dropped from a program and would like to appeal, follow the grievance procedures found under the resources section on the Peck School of the Arts Advising & Student Services page.

Independent Study

Under special conditions, juniors and seniors are permitted to take courses in independent study. For regulations on independent study, see the departmental advisor.

Program Changes

All program changes must be signed by the instructor and the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services. Certain other courses may also require this approval indicated in the semester's Schedule of Classes.

Second Bachelor's Degree Candidates

Students with good scholastic records who wish to earn a second bachelor's degree in the Peck School of the Arts must obtain the recommendation of the Peck School of the Arts department in which they wish to major before they can be accepted. Upon acceptance, students must earn in residence a minimum of 30 credits beyond the studies for the first degree and must satisfy all curriculum requirements.

Semester Credit Load

A full-time Peck School of the Arts student is one who takes a minimum of 12 credits per semester. Typically, Peck School of the Arts students are not permitted to carry more than 18 credits per semester. Students who have a 3.0+ cumulative GPA may, with the permission of the Peck School of the Arts Office of Student Services, carry up to 21 credits per semester.

Transfer Students

Transfer students from other universities and colleges or UWM units are accepted by the Peck School of the Arts provided they meet the UWM admissions criteria and have a 2.0+ cumulative GPA.

Honors in the Major

• Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a GPA of 3.500 or greater in the major and the academic department's recommendation.
• High Honors in the Major is granted to students who have earned a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or greater and the academic department's recommendation.
• Departmental Honors are granted to students recommended by their academic department for Honors excellence in performance not reflected in the GPA.
• Dean's Honors are granted to students with major achievements in one or more of the arts.

College of the Arts and Architecture Dean's Honor List

GPA of 3.750 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.

Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction

Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.

Commencement Honors

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).

Final Honors

Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.