The undergraduate program at UCLA's School of Theater Film and Television (leading to a B.A.) focuses on the practical elements of stagecraft while encouraging exploration of the broader artistic and cultural themes related to the humanities and the production of media. Undergraduates have the option of choosing a specialization from among acting, play writing, design or musical theater.
Housed within the School of Communications, Northwestern University's renowned theater department has produced notable alumni such as Charlton Heston, Stephen Colbert and David Schwimmer. The theatrical arts are taught by expert faculty in such areas as choreography, play writing, set design and stage management. The undergraduate program, which leads to a B.A. or B.S. degree, encourages students to develop both performance capabilities and a conceptual understanding of the classical theatrical tradition within the framework of the liberal arts.
New York University's Department of Drama in the Tisch School of the Arts offers undergraduates a B.F.A. program that is balanced between conservatory-style artistic training and academic rigor. The program connects students to the New York theatrical community through internships and mentoring, and emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration with the humanities, fine arts and social sciences.
Located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the University of North Carolina School of the Arts is a conservatory offering programs leading to a B.F.A. in drama, filmmaking or production design. The focus is on professional training, with students developing their craft through performance exercises such as on-camera auditions and cold readings for television, and collaborating with other professional theatrical training programs from Carnegie Mellon to Boston University.