The Theatre School's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Sound Design trains students to be successful sound designers and engineers in all levels of the theatre and entertainment industries. Sound design students learn techniques for sound editing, recording and composition using the hardware and software that are the standard tools of the industry. Students collaborate with directors, other designers and our professional production staff to get practical experience designing and rigging sound as part of our production program.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Liberal Studies Requirements | 52 |
| Major Requirements | 141 |
| Total hours required | 193 |
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 music in the context of social and cultural development.
- Demonstrate and apply an expertise in audio technology in a variety of performance styles and theatrical environments.
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| IT 263 | APPLIED NETWORKS AND SECURITY | 4 |
| Sound Technology Sequence I: | ||
| TEC 208 | SOUND TECHNOLOGY I | 3 |
| TEC 209 | SOUND TECHNOLOGY I | 3 |
| TEC 210 | SOUND TECHNOLOGY I | 3 |
| Principles of Design Sequence: | ||
| DES 141 | ELEMENTS OF DESIGN | 4 |
| DES 142 | PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN | 4 |
| Technical Drawing Sequence: | ||
| TEC 151 | TECHNICAL DRAWING I | 3 |
| TEC 154 | INTRODUCTION TO VECTORWORKS | 3 |
| Three Quarters of Theatre Crew: | 6 | |
| THEATRE CREW | ||
| History of Dramatic Literature Sequence (Arts and Literature Requirement): | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| HISTORY OF DRAMATIC LITERATURE | ||
| Second Year | ||
| MUS 107 | GUIDE TO MUSIC THEORY | 4 |
| Sound Design Sequence I: | ||
| DES 208 | SOUND DESIGN I | 4 |
| DES 209 | SOUND DESIGN I | 4 |
| DES 210 | SOUND DESIGN I | 4 |
| Theatrical Collaboration: | ||
| DES 360 | THEATRICAL COLLABORATION | 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 | ||
| Design/Theatre Electives | 12 | |
| Production Practice Sequence II: | ||
| DES 371 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | 4 |
| DES 372 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | 4 |
| DES 373 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE II | 4 |
| Sound Design Sequence | 12 | |
| DES 408/409/410 are repeatable in the 3rd and 4th year | ||
| Fourth Year | ||
| Sound Design Sequence III: | ||
| DES 408 | SOUND DESIGN III | 4 |
| DES 409 | SOUND DESIGN III | 4 |
| DES 410 | SOUND DESIGN III | 4 |
| Design/Theatre Electives | 12 | |
| DES 490 | DESIGN INTERNSHIP | 5 |
| Production Practice III: | ||
| DES 471 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | 5 |
| DES 472 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | 5 |
| DES 473 | DESIGN PRODUCTION PRACTICE III | 5 |
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.