Frequently Asked Questions

Texas State requires 42 semester hours of academic foundations, referred to as the General Studies Curriculum. Subjects required include English, Speech Communication, Mathematics, Philosophy, American History, Political Science, and selected courses from the Natural Sciences and Social Sciences. For more information about the University Core, please click here.

Yes. You must complete 19 hours to earn a minor. If you are a Bachelor of Arts student you are required to have a minor and may select from any number of areas outside of theatre, depending on your interests and abilities. The B.F.A. Pre-Professional degree does not require a minor.  You cannot minor in the same department as your major.  For example, you cannot seek a BFA degree in Theatre with All Level Certification and minor in Acting.

All undergraduate degrees at Texas State require a minimum of 120 semester credit hours, including 36 advanced hours.

Yes. Every year a number of freshmen and transfer students begin in the summer. Usually, they take some of their basic requirements such as History and English, Languages, or Math. It is a good way to get oriented to college life, meet the faculty, and ease into a new environment.

Yes. If you are seeking admission as a transfer into the Theatre Department with an emphasis Design/Technology, Teacher Certification, or Performance and Production, it is possible that some if not most of your courses will transfer. The final determination will be made by the Registrar and the Chairman of the Department of Theatre. For questions about the transferability of coursework please contact the Academic Advisor.

There are 6 to 8 plays and 2 musicals, plus creative thesis productions by graduate students, graduate-directed scenes, Black and Latino Playwrights Celebration, Directing 2 Festival, New Works Play Festival, Jeremy Torres Lab Theatre Series, and many other opportunities throughout the academic year. 

Yes. Auditions for Texas State Productions are open to all Texas State University students.

Yes. Each year there are a number of student assistant positions open. These include: Front office assistants, production assistants, building monitors, teaching assistants, costume shop and scene shop assistants. These are responsible positions, and employment is based upon evidence of ability. Many theatre majors supplement their income by working in the Department.

Students who qualify for the Federal Work-Study program are virtually guaranteed employment in the Department.

Yes. Texas State currently offers the Master of Fine Arts in Design: Scenic, Lighting, and Costume and Master of Fine Arts in Directing. A limited number of assistantships are available.

For more information contact:

Brandon R. McWilliams

As of 2019, our department has a BFA in Film Production.

Our Department does include work in television and film acting as a part of our Actor Training Program. Our faculty includes persons with expertise and professional experience in television and/or motion picture acting, directing, and production and a number of our students receive practical film experience with companies on location in the Central Texas area. 

We do not have an extensive program in Radio-TV-Film. However, the Department of Journalism does offer a broadcasting concentration.

Yes. Our department is home to the Iota Epsilon Chapter of the theatre honor fraternity, Alpha Psi Omega. The pledge process begins in September of each school year. There is also a chapter of USITT, United States Institute for Theatre Technology, which is very active. A number of our students also belong to either the Southwest Theatre Conference or Texas Educational Theatre Association. We also have several student-run theatre production companies. 

Yes. We are an organizational member of USITT, American Theatre Association, Southwest Theatre Conference, Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA), and the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF). In 2009, we hosted the Region VI Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.  Every year several of our students participate in United Professional Theatre Auditions (UPTA) and University/Resident Theatre Association (URTA) auditions.

Our department offers a number of scholarships to outstanding students, but the university has numerous scholarships, grants, and other forms of financial aid available for outstanding students/artists.

Inquiries about departmental scholarships should be sent to the Theatre Arts office. Applications are in the office. They are due by March 1 each year and they are awarded next fall and spring.

For information regarding university scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other forms of financial assistance, visit here.

Office of Student Financial Aid

Texas State University-San Marcos

601 University Drive

San Marcos, Texas 78666

Auditions are only required for the BFA Acting and BFA Musical Theatre program.

STEP ONE: Apply to the university through Undergraduate Admissions. Declare your major as “Pre-Theatre.”

We recommend that you apply to the Musical Theatre Program within a week of submitting your application to the university. You must have completed your application to the university BEFORE we can schedule a callback.

We request you also apply to the Honors College upon acceptance into the university if you meet the following criteria:

• Top 10 percent of your high school graduating class, or
• A composite score of 27 on the ACT, or
• A composite score of 1270 or higher on SAT (math and critical reading scores added). Visit the Honor's College for more information.

Most Dance courses are only open to Dance Majors. Depending upon class size, sometimes an exception can be made. If interested in a particular class, contact: mn14@txstate.edu

We offer a wide variety of technique classes each semester. Most classes are offered in Beginning, Intermediate, and Advanced levels.

The Modern dance courses are heavily influenced by Laban/Bartenieff concepts and somatic principles. The Division has a long-standing partnership with the Erick Hawkins Foundation, and several professors have extensive experience in the Erick Hawkins technique. Read more about Hawkins here. Our professors are also informed by the following American Modern Dance techniques and somatic practices: Horton, Cunningham, Limon, Alexander, Pilates, Body-Mind-Centering, and Counter Technique.

We offer Ballet in the tradition of the Royal Ballet Academy, with an emphasis on healthy body awareness and alignment.

Our Jazz classes are a challenging mix of Traditional Jazz dance, Street Jazz, and Musical Theatre Jazz.

We offer two levels of Hip Hop dance emphasizing the cultural significance, history, and athleticism of Hip Hop.

The Musical Theatre program offers courses in Musical Theatre Dance and Tap. Dance majors may enroll in these classes on a space-available basis and with departmental permission.

The Dance Division additionally hosts several guest teachers and choreographers each semester to expose students to a rich variety of dance techniques, current practices, and cultural perspectives.

Class size varies based on the size of the studio it is being taught in, but classes generally have 10-25 students per semester.

Yes. We offer five different scholarships.  Scholarships are highly competitive and are based on skill, and potential to contribute to the Dance Program. 

Yes! We now offer a dance minor!

You can participate in one of the following student led dance groups:

Orchesis Dance Company: Auditions are required and are open to all university students. For more information click here.

Transient Dance Collective: Transient's focus on improvisation, students discover their artistic freedom and expression; unbound by limitations and open to all ideas and philosophies.

IBA: a student-lead hip hop dance company that meets weekly. Members of IBA dance company have the choice of dancing with the company for performances on and off campus or just for fun on a non-performance level.

The dance major prepares students for careers in dance performance, choreography, dance education, and/or advanced study in a graduate dance program. Dance majors are also hired in the fields of performing arts, arts administration, education, and other related areas. 

Yes! Past Dance majors have double majored in many different areas including, Business, Nutrition, Marketing, and even Nursing. It will probably take longer than four years, but with dedication and perseverance you can succeed. 

* There is no audition process to declare a BA major in Dance. See your advisor on how to declare a major.

* We DO require an AUDITION for both the BFA Performance/Choreography AND the BFA Teacher Certification majors. Auditions are held in the Fall and Spring semesters. For both BFA tracks, you may audition at any time (before coming to TX State or after taking some classes at TX State), but it is recommended to do this by the end of your sophomore year in order to matriculate through your degree in a timely manner. We do allow high school seniors and transfer students to audition in advance of being accepted into TX State, however you must additionally be accepted into the university before attending classes. If you choose to come to TX State as a BA major in Dance, then no audition is required. However, if you decide to change to a BFA major later, you will be required to attend the audition before changing degree plans.

The Strutters organization has a long, proud and strong tradition of excellence. Strutters are known around the world for the showmanship and “pizzazz” of their performances. For 56 years, Strutters have fascinated audiences with their performances at football games, parades, movies, and international performances. The Strutters of Texas State University have long been associated with the pageantry and tradition of Texas State intercollegiate athletics. First established in 1960, the Strutters boast alumni of thousands, who have helped to make the organization what they are today.

• Dance students learn to think creatively. Creativity is the most sought after quality in any career. Employers want to hire people who can “think outside the box.”
• Dance majors perform and choreograph original dance works. By learning how to dig deeply into what makes their own dancing unique, they are at the forefront of “cutting edge” new trends in dance.
• Dance majors receive a well-rounded dance education, which makes them better future dancers, dance advocates, and teachers. 

(1) The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance at Texas State University is situated within the Department of Theatre & Dance in the College of Fine Arts and Communication. It is a degree that offers a professional education in Dance, with an emphasis on the arts of performing, choreographing and teaching.

-Texas State offers three tracks within BFA degree in Dance:

(1) Performance/Choreography

(2) Dance Pedagogy: Teaching Certification in one field (Dance)

(3) Dance Pedagogy: Teaching Certification in two fields (Dance and one other subject)

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance at Texas State University is situated within the Department of Theatre & Dance in the College of Fine Arts and Communication. It is a degree that offers a professional education in Dance paired with a minor field of study. This degree offers a well-rounded exposure to dance theory, history, and practice. *To learn more about the different degree plans, click here.

You may continue as a BA Dance major and audition again for the Performance/Choreography option the following year.  If not accepted by the end of your sophomore year, then you may remain in the BA Dance degree plan.

*To see the different degree plans for each Dance major track on our Dance Division website click here.

It depends upon the number and classification of those auditioning.  We do not have a student limit for the BFA Teacher Certification or the BA Dance Studies tracks.

It depends.  While our “Performance/Choreography” track does provide many performing opportunities, it is NOT a ‘conservatory’ approach to dance training.  We approach dance training from a Liberal Arts perspective, exposing all of our students to history/philosophy, composition, kinesiology, teaching methods, and the production/business aspects of dance.  We feel that even the most talented performers need to be versatile and ready for a competitive world.  With that objective, our curriculum facilitates well-rounded students, both physically and intellectually, and exposes them to a broad understanding of dance.  Several of our graduates have gone on to successfully dance professionally.  Several have been accepted to graduate programs in dance, and many have gone on to other dance related careers (teaching, production, owning studios, etc.).  If you are not limited to one view or one definition of what dance is, and you are ready to be challenged physically and intellectually, then the Texas State program may be a good fit for you.  We recommend that all incoming freshmen and transfer students carefully research and compare our program to other dance programs to find the most suitable fit for your individual needs and aspirations.

The students that seem happiest in our program tend to have these attributes:  open-mindedness, self-motivation, a passion for and curiosity about dance in all its forms, styles, and manifestations (history/philosophy, movement analysis, composition, production, etc), and respect for themselves and others.

Check out our Performance Ensembles page.

Because many of our students must work part-time while pursuing a degree, extra activities outside of coursework and departmental organizations/performances is discouraged.  Many of our students do successfully balance studying and rehearsing for Dance Division productions with extra-curricular activities; but it can be challenging, and detrimental to your health and stamina.  With the multitude of pre-professional and performance opportunities listed above, you can stay plenty busy and make plenty of new friends within the Dance Division alone.  It is the faculty’s belief that you will get more ‘bang for your buck’ if you invest your time and energy in the Dance Division, rather than to spread yourself thin.