The Theatre School’s Bachelor of Fine Art (BFA) degree in Scenic Design is designed to give students the opportunity to explore and expand their artistic and visual expression and provides them the opportunity to practice their craft. The four-year curriculum in many ways simulates a scenic designer’s professional experience and process. Designers learn to visualize and create the physical world of plays by collaborating with directors, dramaturgs, other designers and technicians and our professional scene shop staff who build the sets they design.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 52 |
| Major Requirements | 160 |
| Total hours required | 212 |
Learning Outcomes
Core Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Identify and describe the historical and theoretical significance of a range of theatrical artists, works, and artistic approaches from antiquity to present.
- Synthesize and apply elements of their education and training to the preparation, rehearsal, and presentation of theatrical productions with discipline, respect, and maturity.
- Identify and explain their theatrical work in the context of the cultural and social impact of the arts.
Program Specific Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Read and interpret theatrical text and apply research, imagination, and personalization to create a unique, insightful, and compelling design concept.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the history of the visual art and architecture in the context of social and cultural development.
- Create the appropriate plans, drawings, and documents for the fabrication of their design concept.
Liberal Studies Requirements
Honors program requirements can be found in the individual Colleges & Schools section of the University Catalog. Select the appropriate college or school, followed by Undergraduate Academics and scroll down.
| First Year Program | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Quarter | ||
| LSP 110 or LSP 111 | DISCOVER CHICAGO or EXPLORE CHICAGO | 4 |
| Focal Point | ||
| Not Required | ||
| Writing | ||
| WRD 103 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 1 | 4 |
| WRD 104 | COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II 1 | 4 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| MAT 120 | QUANTITATIVE REASONING 2 | 4 |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Race, Power, and Resistance | ||
| LSP 200 | SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE | 4 |
| Junior Year | ||
| Experiential Learning | ||
| Not Required | ||
| Senior Year | ||
| Capstone | ||
| Not Required | ||
- 1
Students must earn a C- or better in this course.
- 2
Readiness for MAT 120 is determined by the math placement test taken online after admission. Students may need to take developmental coursework prior to MAT 120. Students who complete MAT 120 and both a Computational Reasoning course and a Statistical Reasoning course in the Math and Computing Learning Domain take one less Learning Domain course. Students may not apply the course reduction to any Domain where only one course is required, and cannot be applied to the Scientific Inquiry Learning Domain. The MAT 120 requirement may be waived by passing a dedicated proficiency exam or it may be fulfilled by credit for advanced math coursework earned in-residence at DePaul (MAT 135, MAT 136, MAT 147, MAT 148, MAT 149, MAT 150, MAT 151, MAT 152 MAT 155, MAT 156, MAT 160, MAT 161, MAT 162 MAT 170, MAT 171, MAT 172, or equivalent) or earned externally either as transfer credit from another college/university or as test credit through AP, CLEP, IB, or International A and A/S Level exams. Calculus course(s) may be used to fulfill any of the three QR/MCD requirements.
Learning Domains
Arts and Literature (AL)
Historical Inquiry (HI)
- 1 Course Required
Math and Computing (MC)
- Not Required
Philosophical Inquiry (PI)
- 1 Course Required
Religious Dimensions (RD)
- 1 Course Required
Scientific Inquiry (SI)
- 1 Lab Course or 1 SWK Course Required
Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry (SCBI)
- Not Required
Other
- Choose 1 course from the above learning domains as an elective
Notes
Specified required courses within Liberal Studies may have grade minimums (e.g. C- or better). Please consult your advisor or your college and major requirements.
Courses offered in the student's primary major cannot be taken to fulfill LSP Domain requirements. If students double major, LSP Domain courses may double count for both LSP credit and the second major.
In meeting learning domain requirements, no more than one course that is outside the student’s major and is cross-listed with a course within the student’s major, can be applied to count for LSP domain credit. This policy does not apply to those who are pursuing a double major or earning BFA or BM degrees.
Major Requirements
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Drawing for Designers Sequence: | ||
| DES 112 | DRAWING FOR DESIGNERS | 3 |
| DES 284 | MODEL BUILDING | 3 |
| Technical Drawing I Sequence: | ||
| TEC 151 | TECHNICAL DRAWING I | 3 |
| TEC 152 | TECHNICAL DRAWING I | 3 |
| TEC 153 | TECHNICAL DRAWING I | 3 |
| Principles of Design Sequence: | ||
| DES 141 | ELEMENTS OF DESIGN | 4 |
| DES 142 | PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN | 4 |
| DES 143 | SCRIPT ANALYSIS | 4 |
| History of Dramatic Literature Sequence (Arts and Literature Requirement): | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| Three Quarters of Theatre Crew: | 6 | |
| THEATRE CREW | ||
| Second Year | ||
| Scene Design Sequence I: | ||
| DES 241 | SCENE DESIGN I | 4 |
| DES 242 | SCENE DESIGN I | 4 |
| DES 243 | SCENE DESIGN I | 4 |
| DES 250 | MATERIALS AND PROCESSES | 4 |
| Scenographic Drafting Sequence: | ||
| DES 252 | SCENOGRAPHIC DRAFTING | 3 |
| Rendering for Designers Sequence: | ||
| DES 384 | RENDERING FOR DESIGNERS I | 3 |
| DES 386 | RENDERING FOR DESIGNERS III | 3 |
| Scene Painting Sequence: | ||
| DES 387 | SCENE PAINTING | 3 |
| DES 388 | SCENE PAINTING | 3 |
| DES 389 | SCENE PAINTING | 3 |
| Production Practice Sequence I: | ||
| DES 271 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE I | 3 |
| DES 272 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE I | 3 |
| DES 273 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE I | 3 |
| Third Year | ||
| Scene Design Sequence II: | ||
| DES 341 | SCENE DESIGN II | 4 |
| DES 342 | SCENE DESIGN II | 4 |
| DES 343 | SCENE DESIGN II | 4 |
| TEC 424 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN THEATRE TECHNOLOGY | 4 |
| Histiory of Art and Architecture Electives | 8 | |
| DES 484 | PHOTOSHOP FOR DESIGNERS | 3 |
| DES 360 | THEATRICAL COLLABORATION | 3 |
| Production Practice II: Select two of the following: | 8 | |
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | ||
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | ||
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | ||
| Fourth Year | ||
| Scene Design Sequence III: | ||
| DES 441 | SCENE DESIGN III | 4 |
| DES 442 | SCENE DESIGN III | 4 |
| DES 443 | SENIOR CAPSTONE/DESIGN THESIS | 4 |
| DES 486 | PORTFOLIO PREPARATION | 3 |
| DES 400 | SPECIAL TOPICS IN DESIGN | 4 |
| Theatre and Culture Electives | 8 | |
| Production Practice III and/or Internship: Select two of the following: | 10 | |
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | ||
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | ||
| DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | ||
| DESIGN INTERNSHIP | ||
| Electives -Advanced Stagecraft trends: Select in coordination with the area chair | 9 | |
Work on The Theatre School’s production season extends outside of the university’s academic calendar. Some production assignments may require participation up to two weeks before the beginning of fall quarter, during a portion of the winter break, or during spring break. Specific details pertaining to different programs, specific assignments, and options for students not able to participate outside of the university’s academic calendar are available in the Theatre School Student Handbook and the Theatre School website.