Academics
H&S consists of 23 academic departments, 52 undergraduate degree programs, 2 graduate degree programs, and 45 minors. [2]
Undergraduate programs
- Acting (B.F.A.)
- Aging Studies (B.A., B.S.)
- Anthropology (B.A.)
- Applied Economics (B.S.)
- Applied Psychology (B.S.)
- Architectural Studies (B.A.)
- Art (B.A., B.F.A.)
- Art Education* (B.A.)
- Art History (B.A.)
- Biochemistry (B.S.)
- Biology (B.A., B.S.)
- Biology (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Chemistry (B.A., B.S.)
- Chemistry (teacher education)* (B.A., B.S.)
- Communication Studies (B.A.)
- Computer Science (B.A., B.S.)
- Culture and Communication (B.A.)
- Economics (B.A.)
- Emerging Media (B.S.)
- English (B.A.)
- English (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Environmental Sciences (B.S.)
- Environmental Studies (B.A.)
- Exploratory
- French (B.A.)
- French (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- German (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- German Area Studies (B.A.)
- History (B.A.)
- Italian Studies (B.A.)
- Mathematics (B.A.)
- Mathematics (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Mathematics-Computer Science (B.S.)
- Mathematics-Computer Science (teacher education)* (B.S.)
- Mathematics-Economics (B.A.)
- Mathematics-Physics (B.A.)
- Musical Theatre (B.F.A.)
- Philosophy (B.A.)
- Philosophy-Religion (B.A.)
- Physics (B.A.)
- Physics (B.S.)
- Physics (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Physics-Engineering 3-2
- Planned Studies (B.A., B.S.)
- Politics (B.A.)
- Prelaw
- Premed
- Preoptometry
- Psychology (B.A.)
- Social Studies (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Sociology (B.A.)
- Spanish (B.A.)
- Spanish (teacher education)* (B.A.)
- Theatre Arts Management (B.S.)
- Theatre Studies (B.A.)
- Theatrical Production Arts (B.F.A.)
- Writing (B.A.)
- Leads to initial New York State teacher certification
Graduate programs
- Education
- Adolescence Education (M.A.T.)
- Childhood Education (M.S.)
- (both lead to initial New York State teacher certification)
Minors
- African Diaspora Studies
- Aging Studies
- Anthropology
- Art
- Art History
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Classical Studies
- Communication Studies
- Comparative Literature
- Computer Science
- Computing Technologies
- Counseling
- Culture and Communication
- Dance
- Economics
- English
- Environmental Studies
- French
- Game Development and Technologies
- German Area Studies
- Health Communication
- History
- International Politics
- Italian
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American Studies
- Latino/a Studies
- Mathematics
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Muslim Cultures
- Native American Studies
- Neuroscience
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Social Work
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Theater
- Web Programming
- Women's Studies
- Writing
Exploratory Program
The Exploratory Program offers program and professional guidance designed to help students find their own path and get them ready for a successful future. About 40% of incoming students are exploratory. [4] One of the perks of the Exploratory program consists of priority registration, in other words they get to pick their classes first. In doing so, exploratory students are able to choose from an array of classes that are of their interest. There are three-one credit exploratory courses that anyone can take. They are not mandatory but they do help empower students with their academic plan. Students may take a total of 60 credits, including those brought from high school or another college, before declaring a major. If a student has narrowed it down to two or three majors, the Academic Advising Center is a wonderful resource. Most exploratory students declare their majors in their first or second semester; others continue exploring into their sophomore year.
During summer orientation, all incoming exploratory students are brought together to establish a community. There, they listen to peer mentors who were or are in the exploratory program. They are encouraged to ask questions. Once attending Ithaca College, exploratory students have access to faculty advisers, professional advisers, peer mentors, Mary Ann Erickson- Interim Academic Director of the Exploratory Program, and Kathy Lucas- Assistant Dean for Student Services.
Department of Theatre Arts
Ithaca College's theater program is over 70 years old. The Department of Theater Arts has resided at Dillingham Center since 1969. Up until 1989, the Theater Department shared Dillingham with the School of Communications. [5] The first degree in Theater at Ithaca College was awarded in 1931, A Bachelor of Science degree in Theater Arts. [6] The Theater Department offers five separate majors; BFA in Acting, BFA in Musical Theater, BFA in Theatre Production & Design, BA in Theatre Studies, and BS in Theater Arts Management. [7] There is also a theater and dance minor. For acceptance into the program, there is an audition and interview process that takes place across the country. A very small number of students are selected for each major, roughly 3%.
The BFA in Theatre Production & Design has two emphases, one in theatrical design and the other in theatrical technology. Students who are interested in scenic carpentry, costume construction, electrics, sound, properties, and technical direction tend to study under the Technology concentration. For students interested in scenic design, costume design, sound design, projections, or lighting design the design track is a better fit.
Students are assigned a main stage production to work on each semester. Students begin as basic level stagehands in their assigned area. As a student advances in the program, they gain more responsibility until they are put in charge of either managing a crew, or designing a show.
As a freshman, students are placed in classes across different concentrations, then each semester they take more classes that are geared towards their interest in studies. Some of the crew assignments are carpentry, electrics, sound, props and scenic art. Many theatrical production students take part in the London Center during their junior year.
TPD students have exclusive access to areas in Dillingham that serve as classrooms as well as work spaces. For example, the Design room, as well as the Quiet Design room offer things such as drafting tables, lighting labs, and craft spaces. The computer lab, lovingly named the "CAD Lab" gives students access to programs such as AutoCad, Vectorworks, Photoshop and many others.
The BA in Theatre Studies is the newly reformed BA in Drama track. Students can choose a pathway in Stage Management, Directing, Acting, Dramaturgy and Playwriting. The Theatre Studies track is a holistic approach to a liberal arts education, and allows students to also pursue a minor outside of the theatre department. Students may enroll in any of the classes that Dillingham offers with the exception of some courses restricted to Performance, Tech and Design students.
The B.S. in Theatre Arts Managements (or TAM) is geared toward teaching students the skills needed to gain entry-level positions in professional theatres. Students take classes in conjunction with the Roy H. Park school of Business.
Ithaca's theater department produces five main stage productions and one opera each year. [8] There is also a dance show every two years. Each year, the fall musical and the spring play take place in the Hoerner theatre, a 520-seat proscenium theater. Two fall plays and the spring musical are performed in the Clark theatre, a blackbox theatre that may be configured in the round or three-quarter thrust. Two faculty directed pieces also take place in the Earl McCarroll Studio Theatre, a 50-seat blackbox theatre on the ground floor of the building, as well as Senior Directing Projects, led by seniors Theatre Studies majors. There are theatre groups run by students that produce work around campus, notably No Bucks Theatre, Macabre Theatre, IC Underground and Ithaca Theatre Collective. Ithaca students also occasionally participate in productions done by Melodramatics Theater at Cornell.
Students at Ithaca have opportunities for experience outside of the school; The Kitchen Theater offers many students chances to participate, as well as the Hangar Theater. BA's have the opportunity to go to the National Theater Institute in Connecticut or Moscow. Many students choose to study abroad at the London Center, where the school has a specialized program with a focus on British Theater. The program is designed to provide students with an understanding and experience of British cultural life—both historical and modern—through the medium of the theater. [9]
