Undergraduate Admissions

Undergraduate Admissions Process 

Welcome to the Department of Theatre Arts 

Our three undergraduate programs, the General Major, the Performance Option and the Technical Theatre Option, are all Bachelor of Arts degrees which require neither audition nor interview. As such, the admissions process is handled entirely by Enrollment Services. Please visit the admissions page on the Enrollment Services website for important information about CSU Mentor, the California State University State system-wide, online application service, as well as, deadlines, fees and anything else you’d like to know about starting your journey to The Beach! 

The Application Process 

Before you get started on your CSU Mentor App: please keep in mind that, while the system-wide application will allow you to apply for any one of our three programs, the Performance Option is considered an indication of intention only. All matriculating freshman that apply as Performance Majors, will be converted to General Majors by a staff advisor at S.O.A.R. or by our department advisor, Adriane Howze. In order take that intention to reality, you will need to complete your lower division, core performance prerequisites, which include 3 distinct, performance methodologies, voice and speech, as well as movement for actors. Once you’ve complete completed all 15 units of prerequisite training, you will audition for the Performance Option. 

If you are considering transferring to our department from another four-year institution, junior college or community college, please remember our single Theatre Department Specific Admission Requirement for Transfer Students: All transfer applicants will not be admitted without an equivalent for THEA 114A, our fundamentals of acting course for majors. You might also consider completing one or more of the transfer suggestions, which include Script Analysis, Lighting Design, Scenic Design, Costume Design and Stage Management. If you have any questions about transfer substitutions, equivalencies or articulation, please visit assist.org. ASSIST is an online student-transfer information system that shows how course credits earned at one public California college or university can be applied when transferred to another. Once you’ve joined the department, our advisor will sit down with you and analyze your transcripts so as to find the best use for all of your transferred units. 

Any questions? If you have questions or concerns about applying to the Department of Theatre Arts, please feel to contact our staff advisor, Adriane Howze, or our faculty advisor, Josh Nathan. 

After Admission 

Once admitted, don’t forget to make an appointment for S.O.A.R. and the Theatre Arts New Student Orientations & Auditions. Student Orientation, Advising, and Registration (SOAR), is a comprehensive orientation workshop to help newly admitted students transition – both academically and socially – to California State University, Long Beach. All new undergraduate students are required to attend SOAR before registering for classes. Please visit the S.O.A.R. website for more. We also ask that all new majors attend the Theatre Arts New Student Orientations & Auditions, which are held on Convocation Day, the Friday before classes begin in the Theatre Arts Building. All Freshman will audition solely as an opportunity to be seen by the performance and faculty directors before the journey begins. Transfer students will take advantage of then same opportunity; however, transfer auditions, along with analysis of prior performance training, will help us place you in the level of actor training most beneficial, academically and artistically. The vast majority of transfers are placed in THEA 114B. Technical students, freshman or transfer, will share portfolios and tour the facilities. We look forward to meeting you all and to seeing your work!