BA in Musical Theatre


Explore without limits

Are you a musical theatre-lover who also enjoys learning about history, language, science, business, education, math, politics, and more? Look no further — we’ve designed our BA in Musical Theatre for students just like you. Our BA program opens your eyes to the world of musical storytelling and its many opportunities for growth and employment, both within and beyond the scope of performance.

This degree promotes countless possibilities for individualized exploration, allowing you to pursue multiple opportunities and interests at once. Whether you’re excited about double majoring in musical theatre and another liberal arts major — or you love performing and want to keep expanding your horizons — our BA program provides opportunities for both.

singing students

musical production

man and woman dancing

Discover the best of both worlds

In this pre-professional degree program, you don’t have to choose. Our BA degree allows you to equally explore both musical theatre and liberal arts training, and we provide you with opportunities for integration between those two worlds, so that they might inform and enhance each other as you learn.

Our BA degree prioritizes flexibility and the customization of your own educational experience. You can follow wherever your inspiration leads you — be it adding more musical theatre electives, exploring higher-level liberal arts classes, or combining your interests to lead you to an exciting career that cohesively integrates both your artistic and academic strengths.

Your art grows when you grow

The BA degree gives you the space to develop both as a performer and a person. Your humanities classes will guide you toward becoming a well-rounded critical thinker, while your musical theatre training — nestled within a rigorous, liberal arts setting — will deepen, enhance, grow, and evolve as you explore all that Geneseo has to offer.

Are you as excited as we are about our BA in Musical Theatre?

Explore the detailed curriculum here.

MUSC 160:  Choral Group (2 semesters)

MUSC 182:  Musicianship for Musical Theatre I

MUSC 183:  Musicianship for Musical Theatre II

MUSC 201:  Musical Theatre Dance (rotating subtopics - Tap, Partnering, Hip-Hop, Fosse, Leaps & Turns, among others

MUSC 222:  History of American Musical Theatre

MUSC 280:  Musical Theatre Performance I: Foundations

MUSC 351:  Voice Lessons/Vocal Coachings (prerequisites) (2 semesters)

MUSC 380:  Musical Theatre Performance II:  Characterization & Scenes

MUSC 381:  Musical Theatre Performance III:  Auditions & Portfolio

MUSC 451:  Voice Lessons/Vocal Coachings (2 semesters)

MUSC 459:  Senior Recital

THEA 130:  Intro to Technical Theatre

THEA 140:  Play Analysis

THEA 221:  Acting I

THEA 320:  Acting II

DANC 200/300:  Ballet, Modern, Jazz Dance (prerequisites) (2 semesters)

DANC 222/THEA 203/MUSC 227:  Dance, Theatre OR Music History

The BA in Musical Theatre:

  • prioritizes personal transformation, both within the musical theatre classroom and in other settings
  • offers small class sizes, individualized attention, and personalized feedback
  • is led by a core team of faculty members who are professionals in their respective fields, and are deeply committed to guiding your growth both artistically and personally
  • requires a solo recital in your senior year of study to share your work with the community
  • allows you to perform in shows and recitals each semester, and encourages collaboration with students in other majors and departments
  • gives you the opportunity to travel to NYC and form connections with industry professionals

performers onstage

Want to see more? Check out our past productions featuring BA students, and learn more about our annual trip to NYC.

World-class training in Musical Theatre

We combine studies in music, theatre, and dance as we integrate all three pursuits in order to nurture informed, specific, seamless performances. Your time with us includes training in:

  • The Classic and Contemporary Musical Theatre Canons
  • Acting
  • Play Analysis
  • Music Theory
  • Dance Classes
  • Weekly Voice Lessons
  • Theatre History
  • Audition Technique
  • Intro to Technical Theatre
  • and more!

This program requires an entrance audition. Learn about how to schedule and prepare for your audition below.

We can’t wait to meet you.