Undergraduate
Theatre
RMU's Theatre program, an offering in the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Communication, prepares students for theatre-related careers. Students take foundation courses in areas such as acting and production, as well as specialty courses including Stage Combat, Jazz Dance, and Acting for the Camera. Students are encouraged to actively participate in Colonial Theatre productions, which are produced four times each year.
More on the School of Communications and Information Systems
(from the National Association of Colleges and Employers)
| Communication by type of employer | Communication by job function | ||||
| Advertising | $37,500 | Advertising (based on one response) | $39,250 | ||
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation | $30,096 | Fundraising/ Development | $37,000 | ||
| Communications (Broadcasting/Telecommunications) | $32,571 | Insurance (Claims) | $38,000 | ||
| Consulting Services | $29,000 | Management Trainee (entry-level) | $29,238 | ||
| Educational Services | $35,040 | Public Relations | $31,233 | ||
| Government (Federal) | $33,000 | Reporting | $23.333 | ||
| Insurance | $40,250 | Sales | $38,000 | ||
| Legal Services | $34,167 | Teaching | $37,000 | ||
| Religious/ Grantmaking/ Professional Organizations | $30,833 | Writing/Editing | $32,000 | ||
| English by type of employer | English by job function | ||||
| Arts, Entertainment, Recreation | $35,000 | Customer Service | $26,000 | ||
| Educational Services | $32,746 | Management Trainee (entry-level) | $36,000 | ||
| Government (State & Local) | $37,333 | Paralegal | $28,500 | ||
| Legal Services | $28,500 | Teaching | $32,746 | ||
| Publishing | $30,000 | Writing/Editing | $30,000 | ||
| RMU Salary Survey | Range: | Mean: | |||
| Communication (2009) | $19,200 - $38,000 | $29,633 | |||
| English (2008) | $22,000 - $32,000 | $26,500 |
Below is a typical four-year course of study for theatre students, including major requirements and some electives. Your own schedule will vary based on your own interests.
| FRESHMAN/Fall Semester | FRESHMAN/Spring Semester |
| Humanities: Art and Music | Intro. to Theater |
| Intro. to Communication | General Psychology |
| Reading and Writing Strategies | Principles of Sociology |
| History elective | Argument & Research |
| Intro. to Decision Support Systems | Science elective |
| Theater Production I | |
| SOPHOMORE/Fall Semester | SOPHOMORE/Spring Semester |
| Fundamentals of Acting | Modern Trends in Theater |
| Communication Theory | Communication elective |
| Interpersonal & Small Group Comm. | Business Professional Communication |
| Public Speaking and Persuasion | Organizational Communication |
| English Lit. elective | Math Reasoning w/ Applications |
| Theater Production II | |
| JUNIOR/Fall Semester | JUNIOR/Spring Semester |
| Study of Rhetoric | Theater elective |
| Survey of Economics | Communication elective |
| Theater elective | Communication elective |
| Communication elective | Elective |
| Elective | Elective |
| Theater Production III | Theater Production IV |
| SENIOR/Fall Semester | SENIOR/Spring Semester |
| Communication Seminar | Internship |
| Internship | Communication elective |
| Communication elective | Elective |
| Elective | Elective |
| Elective | Elective |
| Theater Production V | Theater Production VI |
In addition to directing RMU's Theatre program, Ken Gargaro, Ph.D., is the founding director of Pittsburgh Musical Theater, a nonprofit acting company and training program in the city’s West End, whose students have gone on to perform for Broadway, Disney, cruise lines, TV, and film.
RMU has collaborative relationship with Pittsburgh Musical Theater, and student interns also train in singing and tap dance at the professional company. Other RMU students have been cast in big-budget PMT shows, performing at the illustrious Byham Theater in downtown Pittsburgh.
Colonial Theatre
This student-focused company puts on professional-quality stage productions for the university and surrounding community at the 270-seat Massey Theater on campus. Participation is open to all RMU students.
Academic Media Center
The Academic Media Center provides a learning environment for students interested in television, video, audio, photography, multimedia, producing, and writing. The center houses exceptional facilities, including the second-largest television studio in Pittsburgh, a television control room, linear and nonlinear editing suites, darkrooms, computer labs and field production equipment. This ensures that students get first-hand knowledge on the same equipment found in broadcast TV stations and corporate communication departments.
RMU-TV
The Academic Media Center produces programming for RMU-TV, a 24-hour cable television station broadcast throughout campus and to more than 200,000 homes in the surrounding community. Students participate in all phases of RMU-TV, both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Student-produced programming includes news, sports, comedy, and talk shows.
In summer 2012, our school’s five departments will be housed in a new building on campus. The structure will include classrooms, computer labs, media arts studios, editing suites, a gallery, teleconferencing facilities, faculty and administrative offices, student meeting spaces, and a café.
Within walking distance to the new building are facilities that provide opportunities for students to develop expertise in a range of media. Students perform and produce plays and musicals in our theater; they produce our student newspaper, The Sentry, and our literary magazine, RUNE, in our newsroom; they produce documentaries, attend lectures and learn from visiting scholars in our Media Arts House; and they produce and host news, entertainment, and sports programs in our state-of-the-art Academic Media Center’s broadcast facility and our Internet radio station.
Scholarships are available based upon academic achievement.
For freshmen, high school grade point average and ACT/SAT scores are used. For transfer students, the cumulative grade point average of all college courses is used. Scholarships range from $1000 per year up to full tuition. (To calculate your scholarship eligibility, click here.)
Higher education is an investment in your future.
At Robert Morris University, we will work closely with you to show you how to finance your education through a combination of need-based financial aid, scholarships, and financing strategies to make your education attainable. RMU has one of the lowest tuition rates of all private institutions in the state, but we know that financing your education can be complicated, and your family might need help in understanding your options.
Talk to us—we can help!
Email us at finaid@rmu.edu
- Call us toll free at 800-762-0097
- Connect with one of our counselors via Facebook to see what others are learning about college costs
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