A group of four students sitting on a stage in dim lighting

Theatre Education with Teacher Certification Major

The stage changed your life. Share that spark with others when you prepare to become a theatre arts teacher.

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What You'll Learn

In Drake University’s Theatre Education with Teacher Certification program, you’ll learn the art of acting and stagecraft while also mastering the art of classroom instruction. As part of this dual-degree pathway, you’ll earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Theatre Education and a Bachelor of Science in Education (B.S.E.) in Secondary Education to meet requirements for Iowa licensure.

Both majors provide intensive, hands-on experience. In Drake’s Theatre Arts program, you’ll participate in productions staged in the black-box William S.E. Coleman Studio Theatre and the 460-seat Performing Arts Hall. At the same time, you’ll complete several student-teaching assignments under the guidance of veteran educators through the School of Education, preparing to lead your own classroom.

Students interested in any of the Department of Theatre Arts’ B.F.A. programs must audition for entry. Review requirements and sign up.

About the Theatre Education With Teacher Certification Major

Combine the focused technical training of your theatre and education classes with a liberal arts background gained through the Drake Curriculum.
Work side-by-side with faculty designers and directors on plays and musicals.
Theatre students routinely work with theatre companies in the community and around the country.
Defray the cost of your education through Teacher Loan Forgiveness and other programs.

Program Facts

On campus
120 total credits; 33 credits for the Theatre Arts major and 41-43 credits for the School of Education
Full-time

B.F.A. in Theatre Education with Teacher Certification

Theatre majors at Drake receive comprehensive instruction in acting, voice, and movement, plus stagecraft, costuming, directing, and stage management. Building from here, your education coursework prepares you to teach these topics in middle and high schools while emphasizing academic reflection, collaborative learning, and social justice.

Directing Minor

Learn to identify talent and structure scenes in this minor, available only to students majoring in other Theatre Arts programs. You’ll get the chance to direct your own production while shaping your artistic vision through classes outside the department.

Musical Theatre Minor

Take classes in singing, dancing, movement, voice, piano, music theory, and various acting styles while preparing for a career in professional theatre. Students can perform in experimental productions, classroom performances, and Main Stage shows.

Erin Degner

Associate Professor, Theatre

Noah Files

Director, Theatre Design/Technology Program

Erik Meixelsperger

Assistant Professor, Theatre

Shayne Mims

Visiting Assistant Professor, Theatre

John Pomeroy

Professor, Theatre Arts

Dr. Michael Rothmayer

Associate Professor, Theatre Arts; Department Chair, Theatre Arts

Students on stage during a theatre production

Productions

Every year, the Theatre Arts Department produces a half-dozen on-campus productions. Act, build sets, design costumes, or take on any of the other roles that go into bringing a work to life.

Student Teaching

Foster a love for the stage among middle and high schoolers in the Des Moines area. Guided by veteran teachers, you’ll build skills in classroom management, instructional planning, and development and organization.

A student smiles at the camera while holding piping for stage lighting

Internships

Bulldogs land internships with theatre companies across the country. In the past, students have found opportunities with the Santa Fe Opera, the Utah Shakespeare Festival, and the Goodman Theatre company.

Eugene O’Neill Theater Center

Our partnership with the O’Neill Center in Connecticut gives you access to one of the country’s premier launchpads for new talent: O’Neill alums have won every major award in theatre arts.

Teacher Certification in Iowa

Drake’s B.S.E. in Secondary Education qualifies you for initial teacher certification at the secondary level in Iowa. You can renew this status twice or upgrade to a standard license after two years.

A student in costume acting on stage during a production

Scholarships

Talented theatre students may qualify for scholarships worth $4,000 to $8,000, as well as several teacher licensure scholarships and other awards available through the School of Education.

Careers & Skills

Theatre Education majors don’t just train to become teachers—they also gain the same 360-degree understanding of productions as every other student in the Theatre Arts program.

With this foundation, you can go on to teach theatre arts at the secondary school level, continue your training with a graduate degree in education or theatre (or both), or pursue a range of careers that blend these disciplines.

Opportunities

Drama coach
Theatre arts teacher
Corporate education
Public speaking coach
Graduate study

Skills

Knowledge of acting, building sets, casting, lighting, and directing
Teaching based on the precepts of social justice, innovation and improvement, reflective practice, collaboration, and care for the self and others
Critical thinking, problem solving, and communication
Classroom leadership

A student wearing a headset looks over monitors in a dimly lit control room

Salary & Growth Outlook

Median salary for high school teachers in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

“I've really enjoyed the variety of opportunities I've gotten to both try new things and learn more about the things I already loved. I've done a little bit of everything in the Theatre department, and sometimes being thrown into things I don't know as much about has proven to be a great learning opportunity.” “That’s been something I’ve done for most of my life and so the artistic side of that, the design skills, transfer,” Barnard told the Drake student newspaper. “I am interested in learning more about scenic design and pursuing those design spots in the future—more than I probably would have been prior to working on Carrie—and then also just working on the festival in general.”

Hannah Parker, AS‘21

Take the Next Step

Help students tap into the creativity and confidence the stage can deliver when you become a Theatre Education major at Drake.

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A student on stage in costume during a theatre production