College Life

Private Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Brown University
• DePaul University
• George Madison University
• Yale University
• New York University

State Schools That Are Well Known for This Major

• Arizona State University
• University of California—Berkeley
• University of Michigan—Ann Arbor
• University of Washington
• University of California—Los Angeles

Classes in the Major

Theater. From Greeks to Shakespeare to Broadway, theater has been around for a long time. We're talkin' centuries. Millenia, even. First, you'll study the dramatic arts across the years before learning about different avant-garde or innovative theater techniques. You'll also be required to take more practical theater courses where you work on stage and backstage to put on productions. You know, hands on and all.

Music and Dance. We must dance. Some people just have the music in them. We are those people. In these courses, you'll learn all about music culture and styles. Dance styles from classical to jazz to hip-hop will be covered. Performing arts majors need to be in the know with all kinds of dances in case they crop up in a production.

Cinematic Art. TV and film might be recent additions to the performing arts world, but they sure have made their impact. You'll be asked to study different cinematic techniques that big shots like Spielberg and Scorsese use to get the point across. These courses will also give you insight into gender and race as it's portrayed in films. Plus, you'll get the chance to create your own mini films to practice your style, pacing, and to share your ideas.

Art History. Hmm, why do you need to know art history as a performing arts major? Just say you want to write a play or perform a part with a certain concept, and your work is supporting a cause you didn't even know about. Say you accidentally do a performance piece that pushes the vegan agenda in front of a bunch of disgruntled cattle farmers. That would be pretty awkward, right? These courses will teach you about the history and social context of artwork before looking at how you should use visual and performative language to communicate with people. You'll focus on how the body and objects were used back in the day and then take a look at how we use them now in our visual culture.

Creative Writing. Just like the name sounds, these courses get students to, well, write creatively. Whether that's imagining yourself as fire blazing through a field, developing an alien race attacking earth, or just scribbling down your emotions when walking from class to class. Most PA majors are creative by nature, and want to share their ideas with the world. In these courses, you'll work on scripting a play or writing short performance pieces that you'll also stage for your classmates and profs to see.

And who knows, maybe you'll pen the next big hit, like The Hunger Games or something Twilight-styled.