Degree in Lighting?

I've said it before I'll say it again, Bowling Green State University in Ohio is where I am about to graduate from and it's been fantastic, we're a BA and you have a general design tech specialization and if you want to do lights you just say that and make it your focus. I have designed 5 mainstage shows during my undergrad, it's not that we're small or nobody wants to do it, I've just gotten lucky and have done, lights, sound and scenic design while here. If you show you've got the talent they let you use it and there's a lot of opportunities, we're also opening a brand new facility this time next year which will be state of the art with all new equipment, stages, design labs, fixtures, all brand new. The building has already won awards and the program on the tech side is in a fantastic place thanks to this last crop of productive undergrads and a receptive faculty and department chair allowing us to mold the program to get the experience we want from it.
 
Not sure if it has been said in this thread. But beyond what the degree will do for you, you have to take into account in what kind of program you'll be spending 4 years of your life, and 200k of your money.

They are, though, quite different environments.
 
Now I'm throwing a stick into this whole thread-

I just joined Control Booth because I have many unanswered questions and am a little stuck with the college situation as well.

Right now, I'm at a community college but I had planned to transfer to Academy of Art University and get a BFA in Motion Picture&Television with emphasis on Cinematography lighting but I've come to realize that I would much rather prefer to work venue & theatre lighting as I've been doing lovely high school shows for the past 5 years (I go back and help now) and I'm starting college shows this year. But I have a few questions if you all don't mind.

I do know that I want to join IATSE but I have no clue on how to go about joining or getting started. (I'm looking into Local 504). I also read all your discussions on some Universities and I was just wondering which were some of the best, as I'm now looking at public universities, not private so I don't graduate up to my neck in student loans.
 
Don't totally dismiss private universities, my understanding is that often times they can give very good financial aid, that in the end will rival the cost of public institutions.
 
One thing to check when looking at a school is what type of accreditation it has (check out this article for an explanation of accreditation). It is also good to check out the history of the school to see if it has made recent changes. Some of the for-profit schools often buy out older schools that already have regional accreditation so that they can offer students federal financial aid, but the program may be significantly different from the school that originally received the accreditation (interesting video about these schools here).

The bottom line is cost versus benefit. The cost to get a masters in a medical or law field is roughly the same as it is for a liberal arts program. However, when you look at the payback, it is quite unequal. If there is a way to afford your education without putting yourself in financial debt, that is the direction you should go. Most financial aid packages are primarily loans. Student loans cannot be discharged with bankruptcy and have significant impact on your credit should you ever default. If you are one of the many who are unable to get a decent paying job when you leave college, you may wallow in that debt for the rest of your life. No other loan program would support students the way college loans do because of the risks.

There are many benefits to college education as well as specific schools. Make sure that you know what direction you want to go and don't waste a lot of time and money on courses that will not further that goal. One of the best ways to help you find that goal is to contact potential future employers and ask them what kind of education they prefer their employees to have, both for entry level and supervisors. Read industry magazines to see what kind of technology is in the works so that you will be ready once that technology comes to fruition.

As for joining IATSE, the best way to find out how to get started is to contact the Business Agent. For local 504, use the contact info on their website for a good start.
 
One other thing private universities can offer is a talent scholarship. I would not have gone to the university I attended without it. Most if not all public universities do not award talent scholarships. Its something to ask about at least!
 
Agreed. You absolutely should check with the prospective colleges to find out what kind of scholarships are available. The talent scholarships are not unique to private colleges (I received them at a state college), but may be more prevalent at them. Also, I recommend applying for every scholarship and grant that you qualify for, no matter the amount. If you can get a $50 grant for writing a one-page paper, you may have just paid for one of your texts or lab fees. Besides your school/department, make sure to check with all organizations that you and your parents (if you are a dependant) are involved in to see if they offer any money. Also check the online searches like Fastweb and NextStudent. You will have to sort through quite a bit of marketing garbage, but if it can get you an extra grand or so for school, it should be worth it.
 
I am now a HS senior, and I would love to make Lighting my profession. However, my parents are strongly putting it that they want me to get a more foundational degree in college, such as in engineering, and do lighting as a job after. My question is, is it common for venues to hire LD without a Degree of any sort in theatrical design? Is it heard of to have someone with an engineering degree to do theatrics?
Engineers for a Better Entertainment Industry - ControlBooth is a group of Engineers here on CB. Some members come out of theatre related engineering backgrounds while for some the engineering and theatre aspects just happened to cross.

Purdue University's Interdisciplinary Engineering (IDE) program includes an undergraduate option in Theater Engineering Studies, I believe this is a BS degree Interdisciplinary Engineering program. They also offer a Lighting Engineering option that I believe is a BSE degree Multidisciplinary Engineering program and that allows for the option of a Theatre Design and Technology Minor. More info on these programs can be found at https://engineering.purdue.edu/ENE/Academics/Undergrad/. When I attended Purdue many years ago the theatre classes I was in included several Engineering students, primarily from the Acoustical (another IDE program) and Electrical Engineering programs. Purdue also offers an undergraduate Design and Production major BA program in the College of Liberal Arts, Design and Production Major : College of Liberal Arts : Purdue University. So there's directly theatre related undergraduate BA, BS and BSE programs all at one school.
 
I'm interested in Purdue's IDE program after reading it here and looking at the website. However, it is out-of-state for me (I live in Washington) meaning that my parents wouldn't be too big on that (big bucks to really big bucks). Anyone know if anything similar is available in Washington State?
 
Speaking of lighting as a career choice, my instructor for my lighting class swears by Light Fantastic by Max Keller, Max is a German instructor and his works were recently re-published in English, So far that I've read its an amazing book, for not only the designing element as far as technology but the methods behind different looks and feels, just flipping through it there is a full spread of a color chart displaying what certain colors mean, by not only mood elements but in other situations as well.
 
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Light Fantastic is a great book but as I remember it it lends itself to the European Design perspective. I'd also like to point out this list of books for a whole metric ton of great books as well.
 
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This has been mentioned in passing, but not explicitly stated: look at what is around the school! I am talking about professional theaters in the same city/general vicinity as your school so that you can work there. My college experience may not be typical, but when I was getting my BA, I learned very little about my job in the classroom or from my professors. I'm not saying it was pointless because I did learn a lot of history and theory and good old fashion rational thought (which is why I think a liberal arts education is better than a BFA) and from hands on work on school shows. However, I have not gotten a single job since graduating because of my degree, or because of the name of my school (perhaps because it isn't an impressive name :lol:), or because one of my professors recommended me. All of my employment (which I am happy to say has entirely been in my field since graduating) has come from personal perseverance and connections I made working in local professional theaters.

I would say figure out what your top 3-5 school choices are based on their merits and your preferences, and then look at what their local communities offer to narrow it down. Going to a school with a local roadhouse (preferably IATSE) could be invaluable.

-Tim
 

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