Program Requirements
- Total Units Required: 36 (12 courses)
- Grade Requirement: Students must earn a grade of C– or higher in all required and elective courses in order for them to apply toward the major in Drama.
Required Courses
Foundations Courses (9 Units)
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 2100 | Introduction to Theater Production | 3 |
| DRAMA 2200 | Fundamentals of Acting | 3-6 |
| or DRAMA 2202 | Improvisation |
or DRAMA 1191
& DRAMA 1192 | Ampersand: Shakespeare's Globe: All the World's a Stage
and Ampersand: Shakespeare's Globe: All the World's a Stage II |
| DRAMA 2304 | Introduction to Theater & Performance Studies | 3 |
Applications Courses (6 Units)
Two courses chosen from the following three options:
If one of the above options is taken as part of a pathway, the other two applications must be completed to fulfill this requirement.
Historical Practice Courses (6 Units)
Two courses chosen from the following list:
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 3018 | Theater Space in Historical Practice | 3 |
| DRAMA 3019 | Politics and Performance in Historical Practice | 3 |
| DRAMA 3020 | Body Language: Acting, Rhetorical Gesture, and Dance in Historical Perspective | 3 |
| DRAMA 3021 | Social Identity and Dramatic Character in Historical Practice | 3 |
| DRAMA 3022 | Blood and Magic: Special Effects in Historical Practice | 3 |
| DRAMA 3023 | From Temples to Tik Tok: Celebrity and Stardom in Historical Practice | 3 |
One Course in a Non-Western or Under-Represented U.S. Minority Cultural Tradition (3 Units)
One course chosen from the following list:
Additional courses may fulfill this requirement. Please consult course listings each semester.
Elective Courses
Drama majors choose four additional electives (12 units). Our department offers a Drama General pathway as well as seven specialized pathways: Acting, Directing, Costume Design, Lighting Design, Scenic Design, Playwriting, or Theatre, Performance & Society.
The Drama General Pathway
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| Total Units | 12 |
Approved courses in other departments (e.g., ELIT 3121 Drama Queens: Cleopatra in Elizabethan England,
COMPLITTHT 4121 The Commedia Dell'arte) may count toward these 3000- or 4000-level electives; students should check with their advisors for permission to substitute other courses from outside the department.
The Acting Pathway
The Directing Pathway
The Costume Design Pathway
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 2101 | Introduction to Costume Construction | 3 |
| DRAMA 3100 | Production Practicum (1 credit–technical crew or 1 credit-design assist) | 2 |
| DRAMA 3104 | Costume Rendering and Design | 3 |
| DRAMA 3107 | History of Western Costume | 3 |
| or DRAMA 4930 | Technical Theater |
| DRAMA 4931 | Advanced Practicum in Technical Theater | 3 |
The Lighting Design Pathway
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 3105 | Stage Lighting | 3 |
| DRAMA 3100 | Production Practicum (1 credit–technical crew or 1 credit–design assist) | 2 |
| DRAMA 3101 | Digital Media for the Stage | 3 |
| or DRAMA 3305 | Immersive Story Studio |
| or DRAMA 4930 | Technical Theater |
| DRAMA 4100 | Advanced Stage Lighting | 3 |
| or DRAMA 4101 | Retina Burn: Concert Lighting Technology |
| DRAMA 4931 | Advanced Practicum in Technical Theater (2 credit–design) | 3 |
The Scenic Design Pathway
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 3100 | Production Practicum (1 credit–technical crew or 1 credit–design assist) | 2 |
| DRAMA 3106 | Scenic Design | 3 |
| DRAMA 3305 | Immersive Story Studio | 3 |
| DRAMA 4102 | Advanced Scenic Design | 3 |
| DRAMA 4930 | Technical Theater | 3 |
| DRAMA 4931 | Advanced Practicum in Technical Theater (2 credit–design) | 3 |
The Playwriting Pathway
The Theatre, Performance & Society Pathway*
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Units |
| DRAMA 3309 | Performance and Culture | 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
Additional Information
A maximum of 3 credits earned outside of Arts & Sciences at Washington University (e.g., through transfer credit or study abroad) may be applied to the Drama major, with permission of the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Drama.