General Information & Policies

Independent Studies and Tutorials
Majors in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film may request independent studies or tutorials. The number of credits awarded depends on the number of hours worked. (A minimum of 37.5 hours per semester equals one credit of independent study.)
     Students majoring in other disciplines are not encouraged to pursue independent studies or tutorials in the Conservatory, unless the study directly relates to a scheduled project or production (e.g., film or theatrical production). A student seeking credit for film production work should arrange an independent study with a member of the film faculty and the student director of the film being produced.

Purchase Repertory Theatre
Each year, the Conservatory presents a number of seasonal productions. The annual production schedule includes explorations in a broad range of styles, periods, and playwrights. All Conservatory productions are designed and produced exclusively by students.

Academic and Professional Standards

Important! Please also refer to the general academic and professional standards that govern all students in the School of the Arts.

The Conservatory of Theatre Arts & Film is an international leader in professional training, offering a conservatory education to a limited number of highly gifted students. All students are expected to meet high standards of work and discipline. Those who fail to maintain these standards will not be permitted to continue in their program. The dean, along with each board of study, is responsible for setting these standards and for guiding and evaluating each student’s development.

Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 (B) GPA in courses required for their major. Criteria for advancement also include the student’s fitness and potential for a professional life in the field, as determined by the board of study. Advancement beyond the freshman year is by invitation of the board of study. Because of each program’s rigorous nature, all coursework and extracurricular work or projects must be approved in advance by the student’s faculty advisor.

In the Acting, Design/Technology, and Dramatic Writing Programs, all freshmen are reviewed by the board of study after their first semester in the program. All freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and continuing graduate students are reviewed by the board of study at the end of the spring semester. Any student on warning or probationary status is reviewed at the end of the semester (fall or spring). There is an ongoing assessment of professional growth in all work for all students. In the Film Program, each student meets with the board of study at the end of the academic year for a review of the year’s work, at which time the board determines whether the student may advance to the next year.

Absences:
Illness must be documented by a note from a qualified professional specifying that attendance at a class would be detrimental to the student’s health. A student with excessive absences for medical reasons will not be able to maintain the level of work required; in such cases, the student may be asked to take a medical leave of absence. Students may not use an unexcused absence on a day preceding or following an official school holiday without consequence.

Probation and Dismissal:
When recommending probation, the board of study (a) notifies the dean of the specific problems that have led to the recommendation; and (b) specifies the criteria for rescinding the probation. The dean reviews the recommendation and, if in agreement, the student is notified in writing. If the criteria for rescinding probation have not been met by the end of the specified period, either the probation will be extended or the student will be dismissed. (The minimum probation period varies: in the Acting Program, the minimum is six weeks; in the Design/Technology and Film Programs, the minimum is one semester.) In each program, the maximum probation period is two semesters. A student who has been on probation for two semesters must be dismissed at the end of that time if the probation is not rescinded.

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Updated Dec. 13, 2006