The theatre department is undergoing a curriculum makeover in an attempt to be accredited by an organization of schools that establish national standards for undergraduate and graduate theatre degree plans, the chairman of the department said.

Harry Parker, the chairman of the theatre department, said the National Association of Schools of Theatre accreditation is like a stamp of approval.

After working closely with the provost and the dean of the fine arts department, Parker reinvented the curriculum for students who will major in theatre beginning in the fall, and began the search for four faculty members to be added to the department.

The department is adding 17 courses and eliminating 10, renumbering almost all of the current required courses, Parker said.

NAST representatives were unavailable for comment.

Parker said the organization has a required number of hours and classes that are set as criteria for accreditation.

According to the NAST Web site, several consultation visits and reviews are required before accreditation.

The department created a model Bachelor of Fine Arts degree plan that requires at least four new faculty members, Parker said. He said the department will search for the new members without space and time limitations.

The first two positions that will be filled are designers: a scenic designer and a scenographer, Parker said. The scenic designer will replace Nancy McCauley, who is the current designer and is retiring at the end of this semester. The scenographer, or swing designer, specializes in all areas of design and will rotate design jobs throughout the year, Parker said.

“I will probably sign up for a few classes because they will give me an opportunity to learn something new and interesting,” said Aaron Lentz, a current theatre major seeking a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. “And I know I will work closely with the new scenographer as well.”

Because he worries the department’s current faculty will burn out with the new course load, it is important to get the search going as soon as possible, Parker said. Administrators agreed to bring in the new faculty over a period of five or six years, Parker said.

“There are other faculty positions that need to be filled in the fine arts department,” Parker said. “It would be unfair for the theatre department to take the positions all at once, so we’ll wait our turn and eventually get the faculty that we need.”

The addition of the new courses will affect only incoming freshmen in the fall, Parker said. The required number of hours will be increased from 60 to a minimum of 83 for a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, he said.

Although the program changes are focused on the fine arts program right now, Parker said, the Bachelor of Arts students will also be required to take some of the additional courses. The required number of hours for Bachelor of Arts students will be increased from a minimum of 30 to 46.

It is exciting to have the first opportunity to experience the changes, said Scott Moffitt, an incoming freshman theatre major. At the same time it is nerve-wracking because there are not any veteran students to turn to for advice, he said.

Students currently in the fine arts program will continue with the required curriculum that was previously established, but will also have the opportunity to sign up for the new courses, Parker said.

NAST gives an objective, expert opinion that will affirm what the department is doing right and improve its weaker areas, Parker said.

The department’s focus is to continue to provide new opportunities for students, Parker said. The first step is meeting the standard requirements for accreditation, he said.