Bachelor of Arts in Theatre

Catalog Year 2025-2027

Based on VCCS Curriculum for THEATRE

Transfer Guidance

Guaranteed Admission Agreement

• Virginia Community College students (VCCS) graduating from transfer-oriented degree programs with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher on a four-point scale are guaranteed admission (https://www.vccs.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/VCCS_HU_GAA-FINAL-0714.pdf).

• A GPA of 2.5 or higher on all college-level work is recommended for all students seeking to transfer to Hollins University.

• This policy applies for all undergraduate majors. All students declare a major after they arrive at Hollins.

• Program Specific Benefits: You will receive a faculty advisor from day one.

Important Links & Dates

• Hollins University Transfer Information: https://www.hollins.edu/admission-aid/transfer-students/

• Register Intent to Transfer: Hollins does not require that you register intent to transfer.

• Admission Application: Preferred admission deadlines: February 1 for fall term or November 15 for spring term matriculation; apply at https://admissions.hollins.edu/apply/

• Financial Aid: https://www.hollins.edu/admission-aid/undergraduate-financial-aid-schola...

• FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid: Apply at studentaid.gov

What Should I Consider When Selecting Courses?

• 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. For help, see Transfer Steps and Resource Center at www.TransferVirginia.org

• Connect with an advisor at your community college within your first year and your transfer counselor (transfer@hollins.edu) at Hollins University if you have questions regarding your transfer pathway. College Connect is available in your account at www.TransferVirginia.org

Is This Degree Right For Me?

• The Hollins theatre department is a vibrant, creative community embodying our core values of curiosity, collaboration, and care. Our mission is cultivating the development of artists, thinkers, and leaders with a passion for the performing arts. We promote life-long learning and collaboration by encouraging students to actively contribute to our departmental vision, policies, and programming. In our classrooms, rehearsal halls, scene shops, and on stage, we nurture an environment where students can explore, create, and express their personal creative visions. Through this holistic approach, we prepare our students not just for careers in theatre, but for lives enriched by curiosity, teamwork, and artistic expression.

• Total Credits Note: Typical semester courses at Hollins carry 4 credits, rather than 3 credits. This explains why credits completed at Hollins may be higher than those completed at the community college. This does not increase the number of courses required, nor the cost. For full-time students, Hollins bills per semester, not per credit. Typically, full time students take 16 to 20 credits at Hollins in one semester.

What Is The Impact On My Degree Of Work I Have Already Completed?

• Associate Transfer Degree Completion: Fulfills all Hollins general education requirements. Courses listed above satisfy Hollins major requirements.

• Dual Enrollment - Completion of Associate Degree in HS: Dual enrollment courses may count toward general education requirements. Completion of an Associate Degree through dual enrollment does not automatically satisfy all general education requirements at Hollins, but all dual enrollment courses will be considered on an individual basis. Students who have not completed college credits after completing their high school degree must take Core 101: First-year Foundations and Core 102: Conflict and Collaboration at Hollins.

• Credit for Prior Learning: Credit for prior learning, including CLEP examinations and AP and IB test scores will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis for Hollins credit. Visit www.transfervirginia.org, "Check All My Credits" to see how your prior learning will earn credit at Hollins.

• Catalog Year: Transfer students follow the requirements in the catalog year that they first enter Hollins or the catalog year aligning with program enrollment in the VCCS (within 3 years.)

Is This College Right For Me?

• Known for its creative and highly engaged student body, Hollins University prides itself on its nationally-recognized and award-winning undergraduate and graduate academic programs, its deeply committed alumnae/i network, its extraordinarily beautiful campus surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains, and its unique ability to ensure that each of its students has the opportunity to design a transformational college experience. Hollins is a small, close-knit community with fewer than 1,000 students, focused on holistic support for each student. The average class size is 12, and only women are admitted as undergraduate students. On-campus housing is guaranteed for undergraduates, and a scholarship of at least $20,000 is guaranteed for transfer students. A $2,000 scholarship is available for Phi Theta Kappa members. Top majors for transfer students include business, psychology and biology but all programs welcome transfer students. Hollins offers a 5-year Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program and offers a renowned English and creative writing program. We are a small community with big outcomes for students; more than 90% of recent graduates are employed or in graduate school within one year of graduation.

• Learn more about our college at www.TransferVirginia.org - Transfer Partners

Did You Know That…

• 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 Hollins University?

What Can I Do With This Degree?

• Due to the holistic nature of the program, Hollins theatre students graduate with the knowledge of all aspects of theatre making, which arms them with advanced skills in collaboration and communication as well as creative problem solving and critical thinking. With experience in acting, stage management, directing, playwriting, design/construction, and theatre research, our students are prepared to enter a career in theatre, advance to graduate school, or apply their theatrical skills to other jobs.

• Explore possible careers, salaries, and job outlook at www.TransferVirginia.org

Program Successes & Highlights

• Real-World Theatre Experience: Theatre majors at Hollins graduate with comprehensive, hands-on production experience. Senior theatre majors create their own theatre company and produce a collaborative thesis production -- from original student works to established plays and musicals.

• International Arts Immersion: Every other summer, students have the opportunity to travel to Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the largest international arts festival in the world.

• Pathway to Graduate Study: Our unique partnership with Hollins' graduate playwriting program opens doors for undergraduates to develop as theatre artists. Many students leverage this experience to gain acceptance into our highly regarded M.A. in Theatre and New Play Development or M.F.A. in Playwriting programs upon graduation.

• Professional Networking and Career Development: Theatre majors attend the Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) annually, where they present alongside faculty, receive portfolio reviews, audition for professional performance opportunities, and connect with industry professionals at the job fair.

• Students regularly pursue Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) nominations in acting, design, and stage management. Hollins theatre students have successfully advanced to nationals in the areas of stage management and sound design and attended the national conference at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. for a week of workshops and one-on-one training with industry professionals.

What Are My Chances For Getting Accepted?

• 89% of transfer applicants applying for the fall 2022 cohort were admitted to Hollins University.

• Learn more about applying at www.TransferVirginia.org and https://www.hollins.edu/admission-aid/transfer-students/

Do More With Your Degree!

• 90% of recent graduates were employed, in graduate school, or engaged in service within six months of graduation.

• Consider a minor or certificate that complements your major and extends your learning. See the complete list of offerings at www.hollins.edu/majors-and-minors

• At Hollins, you will be encouraged to practice your craft outside of the department through professional internships, participation in undergraduate research, attending and presenting at theatre conferences, performance opportunities at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and internships with our Playwright's Lab Graduate Program.

• Hands-on undergraduate research provides Hollins theatre students the opportunity to delve deeply into an area of interest or focus while guided and advised by their professors. This experience helps sharpen investigative skills, is exceptional preparation for graduate-level studies and work in the professional world, and helps build transferrable skills as a student explores possible career paths.

Other Than Classes, Are There Other Program Requirements?

• All Hollins students, other than Horizon students, complete two half-semester physical activity classes not for credit. Varsity athletes may count a sport for one of these requirements.

• Students will be expected to participate in at least one theatrical internship opportunity before graduation.

• All senior theatre majors participate in a collaborative senior project by creating a theatre company and producing work that embodies the core values and aesthetic of the students involved. Senior projects regularly include the development and production of original student work.