Which is a better degree?

[Katty]

I've got a lovely new problem. Basically, I was totally set on enrolling at UofMT and getting my BFA in Design/Technology with emphasis in lighting but my lovely old HS drama teacher just told me (I still go back to my HS to help out in the theatre) about this school called PCPA in Santa Maria, CA that is sort of like a vocational school where they offer a certificate in technical theatre. So, here's my question.

Which is better to have? A BFA or a certificate? I understand having a BFA is more education, but the certificate is 100% hands on learning all day, every week. And I've talked to a few people in the industry and most all of them say having hands on experience is better than spending more time in a classroom.

I would love to hear any feedback on this; good or bad.

Thanks!

 

[JohnHuntington]

Of course I'm biased, but I teach at City Tech in NYC, a school that's very different than most traditional BFA programs.

Here's more info on the program, including an article I wrote for the USITT journal that details our approach.

Feel free to contact me off forum with any questions.

Thanks!

John

 

[MNicolai]

A program that gives you a "certificate" sounds like it'll make you just qualified enough to wrap cables and push trunks around for the rest of your life. BFA programs, so long as you choose one without an umbrella MFA program, gives you plenty of hands on experience and a lot of theory to boot as well. Avoid schools with BFA and MFA programs for your area because the MFA's will get the design experience and you'll get a lot of butt-kissing experience.

 

[rsmentele]

Although you may not be getting a ton of hands on while getting a BFA, you can (and should) supplement that with working summer stock and finding a local union in the area and do some crew calls. A BFA program will also give you more options as far as moving further with your education, or branching out from your specified degree. And, let’s just say this... If I had two people apply for a position, and both had just as much experience, and were equally qualified in all aspects, but one had a BFA and one had a 'certificate' I would hire the BFA candidate. (Barring any unforeseen circumstances)

-JM2C

 

[Grog12]

PCPA is a good school. I've had numerous colleagues go through it and one of my mentors used to teach there. Is it better than where you're looking at for your BFA? That's more a question for you and what you want to do with your life. Talk to people who have gone through both programs and see if their life path is similar to the one you want to take. Remember that whether you get a BA, BFA, MFA or certificate that piece of paper is only as good as the paper its printed on. What you do as a student, the connections you make and your work ethic will open many more doors for you than a degree or certificate.

Like JohnHuntington I'm a little biased. Personally I prefer to advise students to look at BA programs when they're starting out. There's a lot of passion that you have to have to be in this buisness and a BA helps keep you rounded enough if you realize 6 years down the line that you don't have the drive to stay in the arts.

 

[JChenault]

Well - my bias would be for the BFA for a number of reasons. But one clear question is what do you really want to do with your life? ( I am assuming you are a graduating HS student )

If you want to be a stagehand or equivalent, and you are absolutely sure of that career choice (and short of money), a certificate program might work fine. On the other hand, getting a job with a local production house, or on the local union list might be just as good.

On the other hand, if you want to design, or you want to deal with really hard issues of building scenery, then you probably want to pursue the BFA route.

If you want to design, you need a lot more exposure to the arts in general than a certificate program is likely to give you.
If you want to build complex interesting scenery, you need some basic mechanical engineering skills. Not likely in a certificate program.

Looking a the PCPA website, it seems to be offering an conservatory approach to learning. IE you will be working in their theatre learning how to do things. I like the conservatory approach ( indeed I got similar training at the Asolo theatre a number of years ago ) but It only makes sense once you have enough breadth of experience in things outside of what they will be teaching you that a deep dive into technical theatre will not leave you lacking in other aspects of life.

A conservatory program can be great. But conservatory programs are designed to put the last polish on the edge, not forge one out of a billet of steel. If you are just getting out of High School, I would suggest that you would probably do better in a BFA type of program.

Don't be too quick to jump into a career choice. The BFA gives you a better chance of learning other stuff and making sure that technical theatre is what you want to do. A BFA will likely give you a much better grounding in all of the things you need to know to be a great theatre person that you don't get just by doing the work.

Good luck in your choices - it's an exciting time of life.

 

[gafftaper]

One thing we constantly advise young people around here is to wait as long as possible before you specialize. The broader your knowledge the more valuable you will be to a future employee. We regularly hear High School seniors who are very focused and only want to run a light board or sound. While that may sound great now, the odds are your high school experience is VASTLY different from what the real career is like. Specializing in a field you don't really have a clear picture of can be a terrible mistake, trapping you in a job you can't stand later in life.

Secondly, a broad education makes you more valuable to future employers in the industry. If I'm hiring a carpenter and you also have experience in costumes, lighting, and sound you are much more valuable to my theater than the carpenter who has never left the shop. If you specialize too much this can be a limiting factor.

Third, you need to be aware that there are many jobs in the industry that are dead ends. You want to prepare so that you are able to move up to better jobs some day. There are a lot of jobs out there in the industry that you simply can't make a living wage with or that have no benefits. The more diverse your training the better prepared you will be to move up later.

I don't know anything about the particular certification program you are considering. However, some certification programs have a reputation of preparing students with book smarts but doing a very poor job with the real world experience. Students sometimes leave these programs prepared to operate the latest and greatest equipment but are unprepared to work in a mixed up old system. While it's great that you know how to run a digital system, being able to make an old system held together with gafftape sing, is what makes you a great technician. Certificate programs don't have a great reputation for teaching you these skills. However it's these skills you will need to start your career working in places like community theaters and small clubs.

Finally what will you do if you can't find work with that certificate or grow to a point you don't want to work in this industry? No matter what, a BA or BFA makes you a college graduate. If you decide in 10 years you want to leave this industry, you are still a college graduate and it will help you get jobs outside of the industry. That certificate won't help you at all.