A proposal for a new undergraduate major and minor in the performing arts is awaiting approval by the Iowa Board of Regents.

“We wanted to have something available for students with dance, theater and music elements in their programs,” said Zora Zimmerman, associate dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The request for this new degree program, which was submitted on June 19 to the Board of Regents, is still being reviewed, Zimmerman said.

Discussions about adding the performing arts degree started three years ago.

As the proposal makes its way to the Regents, faculty members are anxiously awaiting the final approval.

“I think we have an excited group of theater faculty waiting for this to be approved,” Zimmerman said.

Even though the final approval won’t come until September, Zimmerman said it doesn’t look like there will be any problems.

As soon as the Board of Regents’ approval is granted, the new major will be declared.

“Students have wanted to major in theater for a long time,” Zimmerman said.

Zimmerman said that in the past, students interested in theater had to major in speech communications instead. After these students graduated, they ended up with a degree that did not reflect the preparation in theater they received.

“We felt that particular degree did not reflect what students were really learning,” she said.

The new degree program is actually just a new designation, Zimmerman said. No new classes will be created to go with the new major, since ISU already offers many theater classes. No new faculty will be hired, either.

The important thing about this new designation, though, is that it helps show what students have learned.

“I think it really makes it much clearer to potential employers what students have been prepared for,” Zimmerman said.