The Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in Drama combines broad liberal study as well as comprehensive training in several sub-disciplines of theatre making. Drama majors study and get practical experience in each of several mutually-related areas of the theatre: performance, literature, history, criticism, design, stage management, and production in a curriculum that is structured to relate practice and technical resources/production techniques to the development of dramatic literature as well as current critical theory.

The Bachelor of Arts degree is designed for students who have a serious interest in the literature, theory and practice of drama, though they may not necessarily be planning to make the theatre their vocation, as well as students preparing to work professionally in the theatre (often after more specialized training at the graduate level).

Career Opportunities

Graduates from the Department of Drama perform, stage manage, or design on Broadway, in national tours, regional and summer theatres, in films and on television. UC Irvine's Drama alumni serve as artistic directors, business managers, designers, art directors, and performers at more than 100 theatre companies, and are faculty at more than 75 institutions of higher learning.

A degree in Drama may or may not lead to professional employment in theatre or film. While some alumni may pursue careers as professional theatre artists, many may use the skills learned from their degree and embark upon careers in law, business, arts management, advertising, and teaching. Others may pursue further study at UC Irvine or other notable institutions.