Pasadena City College's Theater Arts program runs a full pre-professional season, four plays and a musical each year, entirely student-cast and student-crewed, in the Center for the Arts Theater, a professional-caliber venue that flatters young resumes. A second-stage program adds four smaller one-act productions a year, so performance opportunities come around constantly.
The credentials are a Theatre Arts AA-T, the transfer degree that CSU campuses accept by design, plus an AS and certificate in theater technology for the technically inclined. Acting coursework sits alongside stagecraft, design, playwriting, script analysis, and history, and theater classes double as general-education credit, letting the curious sample seriously.
California residents pay $46 a unit with modest semester fees, and enrollment is open with production casting by audition. For San Gabriel Valley students, PCC pairs naturally with the area's youth theatre pipeline (Theatre 360 alumni land here) and hands off cleanly to CSU theatre departments or the private studios in this directory when camera-specific training beckons.
Techniques taught
- Eclectic / multi-technique: Schools that draw on several lineages and fit the tools to the actor, not the reverse.
Class types
Enrollment and schedule
Open enrollment community college; productions are cast from students via auditions. Schedule: Division office hours Spring 2026: Mon-Thu 8:30am-5:30pm, Fri 8am-4pm. Duration: AA-T typically 2 years full-time (60 units).
Published pricing
| Program | Published price | Source, as of |
|---|---|---|
| CA resident per-unit enrollment fee | $46/unit | source 路 2026-07-16 |
Prices are the school's own published rates on the dates shown. We never estimate prices. Always confirm before enrolling.
Practical notes
Parking: Campus parking permits $2/day to $64/semester depending on lot
Location
Questions actors ask
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Does Pasadena City College Theater Arts teach children or teenagers?
Is admission to Pasadena City College Theater Arts by audition?
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When was this information last verified?
Sources and verification
- Theater Arts - Pasadena City College, accessed 2026-07-16
- Degrees and Certificates - Theater Arts - PCC, accessed 2026-07-16
- Performance Opportunities - Theater Arts - PCC, accessed 2026-07-16
- Fees and Tuition - Admissions and Records - PCC, accessed 2026-07-16
Researched 2026-07-16, last verified 2026-07-16. Facts above come only from these sources. Anything we could not confirm is simply not shown. Report incorrect information or claim this listing if you represent the school.
Nearby schools
East Los Angeles College Theater Arts Department
ELAC's award-collecting theater department in Monterey Park: a stackable certificate in acting for stage and screen, internships with major LA theatres, Shakespeare on the fall bill, at $46 per unit.
Temple CityPopRock Academy
Temple City triple-threat academy founded 2011 by Paul Kwo, teaching acting, voice, dance, and musical theatre from age 3 to adult in the San Gabriel Valley, with a free first class.
East PasadenaTheatre 360
Pasadena's education-first youth theatre school since 2000: technique classes in acting, voice, and dance for ages 3 to 19, semester structure with free showcases, a $30 credited trial class, and a pre-professional teen academy.
Related by technique
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On-camera school for ages 2 to adult in La Crescenta, founded 2007 by Mae Ross and now under new ownership, with tiered TV commercial and scene study classes, published package pricing, and a free trial class.
Sherman OaksThe Acting Center
Sherman Oaks school founded 2006 teaching its own proprietary technique in a strictly no-criticism classroom, with published 2026 session dates and pricing for scene study, intensives, and improv.
Culver CityThe Actors Circle
Culver City workshop founded 2003 by Marcie Smolin teaching film and TV craft with improv as half the curriculum, in a positive-feedback-only room serving ages 5 through adults at published per-class rates.