Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education Initial Program – Leads to Initial Teacher Licensure

Overview

Teach Theatre to K-12 Students

The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education degree, offered by the College of Fine Arts and Performance, is designed for students who are seeking a career teaching theatre to students in grades K-12. Completion of this theatre education program may help lead you to initial teacher licensure.

The theatre education degree is designed to train you as a theatre educator and theatre practitioner by blending both the theory and the practice of theatre education and performance and its related fields. In addition to regular classroom studies, students are encouraged to take part in the University Theatre Series in various capacities, including onstage and offstage disciplines, thus allowing them to explore the creative process from rehearsal to live performance. This global approach to theatre education training creates a graduate who is multifaceted and prepared to succeed in today's marketplace. Opportunities are provided to apply concepts, theories and research throughout the program.

All courses in the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education degree are directly aligned with Interstate New Teacher Assessment and Support Consortium (INTASC) principles. Programs leading to teacher certification may require practicum hours, state exams, student teaching and an institutional recommendation from GCU. Please note that an audition is required for acceptance into the theatre education program.

Degree Outcomes

Understand what Drives Performance and Learning

To become an effective theatre arts educator, you need a strong foundation of knowledge related to many areas of theatre arts, as well as skills related to teaching K-12 students. Assignments within many of the Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education courses guide you through observational and practice-based experiences. In addition, you have the opportunity to gain valuable skills, such as critical thinking, communication and ethical decision-making.

The final semester of the program includes a full-time student teaching component. These educational settings must be state-certified environments and mentor teachers must be fully certified. Students and applicants are responsible for contacting their state department of education for licensure requirements and program approval.

What You Will Learn

Combine Theatre Knowledge with Teaching

In this theatre education degree program, you explore many areas of both the education and theatre worlds, including:

• Set and prop construction
• Advanced acting, including scene study and textual analysis
• The development of a character as an actor
• Methods of conducting a theatre program in junior and senior high schools
• Practical classroom experiences, research and analysis and teaching duties in a student teaching experience

Career Outcomes

Prepare to Teach K-12 Theatre Arts

In addition to completing a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education degree, in order to teach you will also be required by your state to pass a teacher’s licensing or certification exam, which varies by state. The Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education provides a comprehensive bachelor’s degree program that combines a theatre curricula and education program that includes student teaching, so you have the tools to teach K-12 students after you have passed your state certification exam. The skills that you learn can be valuable in many working situations, including in government offices, for-profit and nonprofit organizations.

_{Grand Canyon University's (GCU) regionally accredited and Arizona State Board of Education-approved Bachelor of Arts in Theatre Education program affords you the knowledge and coursework to prepare for teaching licensure.}