Course details

Summary

With a Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Waikato you gain an internationally recognised degree, leading to diverse career opportunities. Our graduates are in demand for their flexible skills, practical outlook and depth of understanding they bring to their roles. A Waikato BA develops sector-specific analytical abilities and research experience, well-honed written and verbal communication skills, and a broad perspective on the world and its various cultures. You'll learn about human nature and the human mind as they are revealed by the arts, the languages, the politics, and the cultures of the past and the present. The effective communication skills developed while studying the Arts are valued as essential in the modern workplace.

A major in Theatre Studies at Waikato is a rich and challenging pathway to an arts degree with a wide range of vocational applications. Explore performance, and learn about the evolution of theatre and the creation of performance works.

Waikato's Theatre Studies programme takes a theory-through-practice approach to teaching and learning the art of theatre. We take the live encounter of a theatre performance as our starting point, encouraging you to explore and extend your own dramatic practice.

Many papers in the programme provide opportunities for the practical study of performance, while others examine the theories that have shaped and informed theatre over the ages. Two papers have public performances at their core, with the study process mirroring the creative process of page-to-stage, or idea-to-stage, that results in the performance. You'll learn about, and potentially add to, New Zealand's rich array of theatrical forms, established and traditional, and new and experimental.

Practical tutorials, seminars and rehearsals take place the theatre laboratory space, the New Place Theatre/Te Tapere Hou, and the Playhouse Theatre within the University's purpose-built Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts, which is also the venue for public performances.

Careers for Theatre Studies graduates include employment within community and professional theatres, local arts councils, schools, film production companies, and arts agencies such as Creative New Zealand and New Zealand On Air.

Requirements

• Students are required to pass a total value of at least 360 points.

• At least 240 points must be above 100 level, and at least 80 points must be above 200 level.

• An Arts major subject comprises at least 120 points above 100 level, including at least 60 points above 200 level.

• No paper can count towards two majors.

• A supporting subject comprises at least 70 points, with at least 40 points above 100 level. In a double major, the second major subject fulfils this requirement.

• A major, supporting subject or specialization must include any compulsory papers.

• Up to 80 points may be taken ‘outside’ the Arts subjects (that is, from non-Arts subjects). In a double major, if the second major is a non-Arts subject, up to 120 points may be taken. If more than 120 points are required for the major, a Dean’s waiver is required.

• A program of study may only include two directed studies, of which only one may be counted towards your major. Each major has specific rules regarding directed studies

Career Opportunities

• Actor
• Arts Administrator
• Director
• Stage Manager
• Teacher
• Theatre Technician

Entry criteria

Applicants must meet NCEA University Entrance criteria or have completed the Certificate of Attainment in Foundation Studies, no less than C grade in any paper plus a B grade in CAFS001 and 002. Some qualifications require specific papers and higher grades or have obtained any other equivalent overseas qualification.

University Entrance means: From 2015 - (i) NCEA Level 3, (ii) a minimum of 14 credits at Level 3 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework, in each of three approved subjects, and (iii) the numeracy requirements of a minimum of 10 credits at Level 1 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework, made up of achievement standards and/or unit standards specified by NZQA, and (iv) the literacy requirement of a minimum of 10 credits at Level 2 or higher on the National Qualifications Framework, made up of: (a) 5 credits in reading , and (b) 5 credits in writing from a list specified by NZQA.

English language requirements:

IELTS (Academic) - 6.0 overall (no band less than 6.0); iBT (internet based) TOEFL - 79-80 with a score of 20 in writing; Pearson PTE Academic - 57 with no less than 57 for each communicative skill; Waikato Pathways - Successful completion of Level 7 with a B grade average in the Certificate of Attainment in Academic English (CAAE) programme.