Major and Minor Declaration

Major and Minor Declaration in Drama and Dance

Thank you for your interest in the Drama, Theater, and Dance department. We represent a thriving, diverse community of young artists in a variety of live performance fields and we welcome students at all levels of ability to audition/interview for acceptance into our program.

Please note that the submission period for Major and Minor Declaration in Drama and Dance begins on October 31 and ends on December 29, 2024 for the Spring 2025 semester.

If you are a transfer student with more than 60 credits who requires major declaration for FAFSA, please contact the department chair for guidance.

We recommend that new freshmen who wish to major in Drama take one or all of the following courses: Drama 100, Drama 111, or Drama 120. We recommend that Dance students with prior experience contact the professor of any Dance course for guidance on placement in beginning or intermediate courses. All Dance technique courses fulfill requirements for the Dance major.

Please note that we welcome any Queens College student to take classes with us and/or audition for our campus productions. It is not necessary to be a major or minor to do so.

NEW FRESHMEN AND TRANSFERS: Please be aware that you cannot declare a major or minor in this program until AFTER you are an accepted and matriculated student who is registered at Queens College. We cannot accept materials prior to your matriculation at the college, and we do not conduct admissions for new students. Please contact the Admissions office directly to find out how to apply to Queens College.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an audition required for your program?
An audition and the submission of a resume of experience has always been required for entrance into the DANCE major, in order to assess the previous experience which is required to major. Starting in Fall of 2019, we now request that students who wish to major in DRAMA also submit either an audition, a portfolio of technical or design work/directing, or a short statement of no more than 500 words about their experience in theater and why they are choosing to pursue a degree. We also accept writing samples from students who wish to pursue playwriting/screenwriting.

The Dance audition is used to evaluate the student’s ability to pursue college level work in Dance. You may be asked to take additional coursework, or to first declare a minor in Dance and re-audition to assess if you are ready for the rigors of our studio program.

The Drama portfolio/audition/or statement is used to:

• Place acting students into the most appropriate studio level courses. Or to recommend additional coursework in voice or physical training for those students who seek to work professionally as an Actor.
• Place directing, design, and technical theater students into the most appropriate studio level course. Or to recommend additional coursework in specific artistic or technical skills for those students who seek to work professionally as a designer or technician.
• The statement helps us to view your existing coursework through the lens of your professional and degree goals, and to decide if this is the proper time for you to declare your major or if other coursework is needed for you to make an informed decision. It also helps us to advise freshman students on what coursework is most appropriate as you begin the major.

We ask that students who wish to minor in these programs also follow these guidelines so that we can offer the best advisement and placement for them. Previous experience is not required in Dance or Drama to minor. We will not decline a request to minor unless it is clear that you cannot complete the minor in the course of your four-year degree program.

Can’t I just email you my major/minor declaration form?
An advising appointment is required to declare a major or minor in any program in this department. We will not sign major declaration forms emailed to us without the appointment. Please note that we also review the list of official majors every month, and remove anyone who has been listed in error without making the required appointment.

I want to declare a major now, when can I do so?
Due to the labor-intensive process of reviewing student auditions/portfolios and the meeting requirement, we do not offer continuous major/minor declaration. We have two periods during which we accept application materials and offer interviews/advisement: December-January and April-May. We do not accept students who will be in their final semester following the December interviews, so please make your appointment as early as possible in your academic journey.

An audition sounds like a big deal. How can I know what to prepare?
The audition is just a way for us to view your skills. You should not be stressed or intimidated by this process, as we are not judging you, we are evaluating where you are as an artist-in-training in relationship to your stated goals.

For ACTORS:
Please prepare one monologue (either dramatic or comedic) between one and two minutes long, and upload them to a private YouTube or other channel that can be viewed through a link you share.

• Please do not require us to sign into your social media to view your audition.
• We will not view audition material that requires us to download it.
• Please be mindful of the time limitation
• Please be mindful of that in choosing your material and attire for the audition. We prefer that you wear simple attire and shoot on a flat background for the best video quality. The focus should be on your performance.

For DANCERS:
Please a video of no more than ten minutes in total demonstrating your skills, and upload it to a private YouTube or other channel that can be viewed through a link you share. Please also include a resume of your previous training and experience, amateur or professional.

• Please do not require us to sign into your social media to view your audition.
• We will not view audition material that requires us to download it.
• Please be mindful of the time limitation

FOR ALL OTHER FIELDS:
Please prepare a portfolio of your directing, writing, technical work, or design materials or any combination of these and a short resume of your experience. This can be images from your coursework here or elsewhere. Please have these materials accessible through a Google Doc/Album or Dropbox format that is easily shared through a link. We will not view portfolios on social media.

What if I don’t have any material for an audition or portfolio?
That is perfectly fine, many students do not. We ask that you submit a short personal statement of approximately 500 words explaining what has drawn you towards this major and what your career and academic plans are.

Do you offer internships for credit?
Yes. Internships for credit are available.

Do your students work in the industry?
We are proud to say that our graduates work in a wide variety of live entertainment industries and film and television, both on stage and on camera and behind the scenes. Recent graduates can be seen on NBC and HBO, and have attended world renowned graduate programs at Yale, NYU, UCLA, Juilliard, ACT and many others. Most of our students attend these programs on significant scholarships making them free or low cost. Some QC alumni in entertainment are: Jerry Seinfeld, Fran Drescher, Danny Burstein, Jon Faverau, Adrian Brody, Rosanny Zayas, and Shaunette Wilson.

Can I double major?
Yes absolutely. Popular co-majors with our program include but are not limited to Psychology, EECE, Media Studies, English, and Fashion.

I have more questions.
For more specific guidance, please email Prof. Meghan Healey at meghan.healey@qc.cuny.edu.