The School of Theatre and Dance is rooted in the belief that the relevant artist is the thinking artist who couples the mastery and embodiment of concrete skills with knowledge of and sensitivity to the cultural environments of ideas, artistic forms, and other persons. The school trains and educates artists, scholars, and teachers in the rich traditions and current practices of dance, theatre, and musical theatre.

Dedicated to the value of the intensive B.A., the school’s programs blend liberal arts education and critical thinking with intensive, pre-professional training and practice.

You can complete an equivalent course to JMU's THEA 251 Basic Acting prior to transfer. Consider beginning a foreign language, and/or taking an additional philosophy course for the BA degree requirements at JMU. An audition and or portfolio review is required for admission to the major. Students are encouraged to complete this during the semester prior to their enrollment at JMU (i.e., spring for fall start at JMU, fall for spring start at JMU).

• Create a schedule for all required courses, pay attention to prerequisites and when courses are offered, complete your first math and English courses in your first year
• Connect with an advisor at your community college and James Madison University within your first year via College Connect

Theatre majors can choose to concentrate in Design and Technology, Performance, Theatre Education (with or without PK-12 Teacher Licensure), or Theatre Studies, or to pursue the Theatre major without a specific concentration. Transfer students wishing to declare a concentration would interview/audition in the spring of their first year at JMU. Transfer students interested in Theatre Education with PK-12 Teacher Licensure should communicate this to their JMU advisor when registering for their first semester of courses at JMU.

Each year we produce multiple plays on the mainstage; student produced full-length plays or devised work in the Studio Theatre; and staged readings of original student work in our Workshop season. We focus exclusively on undergraduate education, so you won’t be competing with graduate students for resources.

Our students are politically active, frequent participants in various study abroad programs and professional internships, and regular creators of independent projects, including films, performances, and events in and outside of the School of Theatre and Dance.

• Completing your Associate transfer degree post-high school satisfies all lower division general education requirements and increases the chance of completing your bachelor's degree?
• Exceeding 3 years or 90 credits at your community college means you may have exhausted your financial aid at that college and have limited your future financial aid at: James Madison University