BFA in Acting

About this program

Academy of Art University's BFA Acting program offers professional training grounded in industry experience and real-world application. Led by an Academy Award–winning producer, the program emphasizes learning by doing through training on professional soundstages under the direction of seasoned industry professionals. The curriculum centers on core performance elements including access to imagination, acting from pure impulse, and command of body and voice, complemented by training in Meisner technique, voice and speech, movement, scene study, on-camera work, and personalized Alexander Technique sessions. Students build professional reels while collaborating with writers, directors, and producers on original work, gaining exposure to a wide range of elective specializations including makeup, costume design, stunts and fights, improv, voice acting, comedy and sketch, and production-adjacent skills. The program is supported by extensive facilities including eight soundstages with professional lighting grids, a 200-seat Main Stage Theater in San Francisco's theater district, black box theater, camera equipment rooms, wardrobe and prop departments, and editing bays—all available for student use. Graduates emerge with portfolios demonstrating professional-level readiness across film, television, theater, and related entertainment industry careers.

Audition & application overview

• Requires a live or recorded audition
• Requires a monologue

In-person or via virtual platforms