Courses & Curriculum

Program Overview

The Collaborative Arts BFA  is a course of study designed for a diverse group of versatile, curious, and enterprising undergraduates. We value creative cooperation, theoretical rigor, hands-on experimentation, radical revision, and whimsy. We prioritize process as a method of self-discovery and often encourage our students to try before they completely understand how or why. 

Students in the Collaborative Arts BFA are required to practice and learn a variety of disciplines and are expected to emerge as multidisciplinary artists. They are seeking a curriculum that emphasizes breadth, integrates theory with practice and rewards the artist who is able to dream up projects and work with others to realize them. The Collaborative Arts BFA appeals to students who are passionate about working in the arts across disciplines.


Breakdown of Requirements:

• Major: 68 credits
• Liberal Arts: 32 credits
• General Elective: 28 credits

68 Major: 

• First Year Core - 20 credits
  
• Expanded Interdiscplinary Practice electives - 12 credits
• Artistic Practice electives - 24 credits
• Artistic Studies electives - 8 credits
• Collab Lab x 4 
• Thesis - 4 credits

Our first year core curriculum introduces students to the fundamentals of movement and acting, visual art and filmmaking, emerging media and technology, music production, playwriting, screenwriting, and art theory. These are followed in subsequent years by artistic practice electives and specialized theme-based interdisciplinary courses where different approaches, disciplines, and theories are intertwined and explored, culminating in a final capstone project. Collab Labs bring together the entire BFA for weekend-long intensive art jams and productions.

32 Liberal Arts: 

• Writing the Essay: Art & the World - 4 credits
• Writing the Essay: The World Through Art  - 4 credits
  
• Humanities - 8 credits
• Science - 8 credits
• Humanities or Science - 8 credits

28 General Electives: 

Unrestricted, general electives. These credits could be used towards a double major and/or minor. 

Course Information

Once students have completed the first year core, they start taking courses to fulfill their Artistic Practice, Artistic Studies, and Expanded Interdisciplinary Practice requirements.

There are 5 different areas of courses, and students must take at least one course in at least three of the categories. The following are examples of courses that are offered in each category. For a full list click here.

SAMPLE Four Year Sequence

Students in years 2-4 choose their class sequences which may vary from the example presented below. Students may be able to accelerate their degree depending on their incoming credits (e.g. AP or IB credits), or by taking summer or January term courses.

Minors

Students majoring in Collaborative Arts can also choose to complete a minor as part of their degree. Minors can be in the humanities, social sciences, languages, or other arts (subject to policies governing minors in those respective departments). To learn more about minors that are offered through Tisch, please visit Tisch Minors. Examples of minors offered outside of Tisch include: Psychology; The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Technology; Art History; Journalism; and many more.  

Study Abroad

At Tisch we believe that global and cultural awareness is critical to education and personal development. The Collaborative Arts B.F.A. encourages students to study abroad while completing their degree. The curriculum is designed to allow students to spend a semester (or an entire year) abroad while earning core, general education or elective credits. Visit NYU Study Abroad or Tisch Special Programs to learn more about study abroad opportunities at NYU.