Texas Tech University

New Undergraduate Students

Admissions Overview

A portfolio or audition is required for all new Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) students and Bachelor of Arts (BA) students in Art, Music, & Dance. Faculty review these submissions and auditions on a student-by-student basis for admission to visual and performing arts programs; admissions is not guaranteed. Students must be admitted to the university and to their program of study as required. Requirements are dependent upon the program of choice. 

Deadlines

The School of Art

Portfolio reviews are completed as soon after successful submission of an applicant's file through RaiderConnect. Create an account there (if you do not already have one), select APPLICATIONS at the top of the page, then choose the College of Visual & Performing Arts Application at the bottom of the page. Fall applicants should submit the required items through Acceptd by February 1st for scholarship consideration. Applications to the School of art are allowed and a student can be admitted to the art program after this date.

School of Music

Auditions are held in the spring prior to entry in the Fall term. Spring applicant auditions will be held as needed with faculty in primary instrument area. The School of Music offers rolling admission throughout the year.

School of Theatre & Dance

Final callbacks for several programs take place on or before February of the year in which a student plans to attend. However, some programs allow applications and may consider students for admission past that date. Please review individual program requirements through the School of Theatre & Dance for more details.

Questions?

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Current Student Major Change

Currently enrolled Texas Tech students who wish to change their major to a program in the Talkington College of Visual & Performing Arts (TCVPA) must have an adjusted cumulative GPA of at least 2.00. In addition, they must provide the Student Division office (203 Holden Hall) with a transcript of all academic work. Several majors in the TCVPA have additional admission requirements. Consult the "Admissions" section of the current catalog. Approval will be granted at the Student Division office. TCVPA will determine the applicability of any transferred credit to academic programs in the college. The last 30 hours prior to graduation must be completed while enrolled in the TCVPA.

Catalog Selection

Students will use the catalog issued for the year in which they were first officially admitted to the TCVPA, or a more recent catalog if approved. However, if they later transfer to another institution or another college at Texas Tech, they will use the catalog in effect when they are readmitted to the TCVPA. For these purposes, a catalog expires after seven years at which time the current catalog becomes the catalog in effect.

Core Curriculum Requirements

The Core Curriculum Requirements ensure breadth in each academic program. These requirements have been incorporated into the college's various degree programs.

Course Load

A normal full-time course load is 15 hours per semester. Course loads in excess of 19 semester hours require approval by the Associate Dean in the Student Division of the TCVPA. The maximum course load for a student on probation is 16 hours. The normal course load for a single summer term is 6-8 hours. To meet graduation requirements, a graduating senior may petition to take 9 hour one term or a total of 15 hours in both terms.

Credit by Examination

A matriculated student may attempt credit by examination by obtaining written approval from the academic dean's office. Credit by examination will not satisfy the 24-hour residence requirement.

Degree Plan and Intention to Graduate

Students are encouraged to file degree plans with the dean's office as soon as their academic goals are clearly defined. Students must file degree plan upon completing 45 hours of course work. The Intention to Graduate form must be filed one year before the intended date of graduation.

More Information

Aaron Chavarria
Lead Advisor

Freshman Year

Entering first-year students develop their programs in conference with an academic advisor. The students report to their advisors for such individual conferences or group meetings as needed for the purpose of orienting themselves to academic regulations and procedures, curricula, and degree requirements in their various areas of interest. Students are urged to take required courses during their first year.

Grades of D

Credits for a course in which a grade of D is earned may not be applied toward fulfillment of the major (sometimes including adjunct requirements), minor, or teaching field requirements for any degree program.

Grading Practices

The TCVPA conforms to University grading practices as set forth in the major section entitled "Academic Regulation" in the university catalog. In addition, the following regulations apply with the college. Except for those courses designated "may be repeated for credit" in the catalog, no course may be used more than once on a degree plan unless it has been approved by the Associate Dean in the Student Division of the TCVPA.

Second Bachelor's Degree

No second bachelor's degree is conferred until the candidate has completed at least 24 semester hours in residence in addition to the courses counted toward the first bachelor's degree. Credit by examination will not satisfy the 24-hour residence requirement.

Teacher Education

The Curricula of most of the Bachelor of Arts degree programs are sufficiently flexible to permit a student to major in an academic subject yet meet the requirements for certification by taking the required courses in the College of Education. Prospective teachers should refer to the section of the University Catalog describing teacher education and consult the College of Education and the chairperson or undergraduate advisor of the department in which they wish to major. Students wishing to pursue teacher certification in one of the visual or performing arts should refer to the catalog listings under those units (School of Art, School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance) and must consult with the appropriate advisor for those specific disciplines.