The Theatre School’s Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Comedy Arts prepares graduates to be performers, directors, and content creators through the academic study of the history, theory, and techniques of comedy as well as real-world practical experience. Through a combination of coursework and co-curricular performances both on-campus and in professional Chicago comedy venues, the program’s pedagogy reflects the way comedians have learned their field for centuries: testing material in front of an audience, digesting their response and then learning to revise and rethink in order to be successful communicators and storytellers. At DePaul, we consider Chicago to be our classroom. As the nation’s premiere destination for live comedy, our classroom is hard to beat.
The Theatre School's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in Comedy Arts prepares graduates to be performers, directors, and content creators through the academic study of the history, theory, and techniques of comedy as well as real-world practical experience. Through a combination of coursework and co-curricular performances both on-campus and in professional Chicago comedy venues, the program's pedagogy reflects the way comedians have learned their field for centuries: testing material in front of an audience, digesting their response and then learning to revise and rethink in order to be successful communicators and storytellers. At DePaul, we consider Chicago to be our classroom. As the nation's premiere destination for live comedy, our classroom is hard to beat.
The Comedy Arts program develops students to become well-rounded comedians with experience in writing, performing, directing, and producing. Comedy making opportunities include:
- Over 100 different shows in Studio 408.
- A residency with The Annoyance where Comedy Arts students produce two weekly comedy shows plus a weeklong student-driven comedy festival, MessFest.
- Quarterly faculty and guest-directed projects.
The program maintains a variety of collaborative partnerships with world-renowned comedy institutions, allowing students to seamlessly transition into their field as professionals.
- Our exclusive partnership with The Onion gives students the opportunity to take classes from the publication's current head writer Mike Gillies and experience what it's like to be in a professional writers' room.
- Our partnership with NPR's "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" gives students special access to a live recording of the show as well as the opportunity to connect with its creators and performers in a one-of-a-kind workshop and panel.
- Our internship program with the iO Theater gives students hands-on experience in what it's like to run a comedy theatre from executive producing to marketing.
BFA Comedy Arts Curriculum
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
Liberal Studies
In addition to the major's requirements, students complete 52 quarterly credit hours (13 courses) in the university's Liberal Studies Program. Courses are taken in theatre history, writing, quantitative reasoning and technological literacy, philosophical inquiry, religious dimensions, scientific inquiry, understanding the past, multiculturalism in the United States, and electives. These liberal studies courses are scheduled during the first three years of the program.
Featured Faculty
Our faculty are working comedians with specialties across the board. From professional standups, improvisers, and sketch comedians to artistic directors, managers, and consultants in the field of applied comedy, our faculty connects students to real-world experience and knowledge no matter what role in comedy they want to pursue.