Study Abroad for
Dance and Theater Majors

The Theater Program in the UCSB Department of Theater and Dance strongly encourages its theater majors to acquire an understanding of theater in many different parts of the globe. Theatrical performance is proving to be one of the most effective means by which different cultures can communicate with each other. By studying abroad, students will gain a deeper understanding of a culture different from their own and a stronger sense of the ties that bind the world together.

The majority of the most exciting and experimental theater work is performed in one place only and does not travel. By studying abroad, students can travel to countries that have a vigorous theatrical culture. Practical theater work is central to the curricula of most of the major theater departments in different countries, so students can use performance opportunities to develop close, personal, and perhaps professional, relationships with members of the theater community in their chosen country of study.

Theater is an extraordinarily diverse discipline, which touches upon and often incorporates the arts of music, literature, painting, and many other artistic media. In choosing a university at which to study, students should also check the offerings of contingent departments as many of them might be offering courses of vital interest. 

If you are interested in fulfilling upper-division major requirements abroad, you should study abroad during your junior or senior year, after you have completed the pre-major. Students interested in fulfilling General Education requirements can participate as early as their sophomore year. Students can even study abroad during a fifth year.

Students in the directing, playwriting, design, and BFA acting emphasis should consult with area faculty before deciding when to do their foreign study. Our department faculty have had an abundance of international experience to assist in making program decisions. 

Regardless of when you plan to study abroad, start planning NOW!

UCEAP offers a variety of short-term and year-long programs around the world. Consider what aspect of theater and what theater culture you wish to study. Fortunately, many of the major theatrical cities around the world also have UCEAP partners with strong theater programs. Strong programs in dramatic arts, taught in the language specified, can be found at:

Programs in English

• Australia: New South Wales & Sydney
• Czech Republic: Central European Studies
• England: King’s College, Bristol, East Anglia, Kent, Queen Mary, Royal Holloway, Manchester, Sussex & Warwick
• Ghana: University of Ghana
• Ireland: Cork, Galway, & Trinity 
• Scotland: Glasgow 
• South Africa: University of Cape Town

Programs in Spanish

• Chile: Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, University of Chile
• Mexico: National Autonomous University of Mexico

Programs in German

• Germany: Free University Berlin

Programs in Italian 

• Italy: University of Bologna

Programs in French

• France: University of Bordeaux

Another option for theater majors is to study for a semester or summer in a location where you can fulfill general education requirements or advance your study of a language.

By searching the UCEAP Course Catalog, you will get an idea of the types of dramatic arts courses UC students have taken around the world. Use Gaucho Credit Abroad to search for the types of credit (i.e., major, minor, GE areas, or electives towards graduation) that UCSB students received for courses taken on UCEAP. You can find additional course listings on UCEAP partner university/program websites.

All UCEAP students automatically earn UC credit for the work they complete abroad. However, the application of credit to major requirements is subject to the discretion of the department. 

• Explore program options
• Attend info meetings
• Contact the UCSB EAP Office
• Contact the Department of Theater and Dance

Academic Planning Form Tutorial

Gaucho Credit Abroad Database