M.A./PhD Program

Admissions Applications for admission in the fall semester must be received by the preceding January 15. (Students are not admitted for the spring.) An application is complete only when all of the following materials have been received: the application form (including the applicant's statement); transcripts; at least three letters of recommendation; and a sample of the applicant's writing. GRE scores are required, with a total minimum of 1300 for combined verbal and quantitative scores. No subject test is required. Foreign applicants who are not currently attending a university in the United States must take the TOEFL exam and score a minimum of 600. An undergraduate major in theatre is not required for admission. Applicants who have had little academic work in theatre may, however, experience initial difficulty with graduate courses that presuppose undergraduate work in theatre studies and, while in the program, may have to do more than others to acquire the competence in theatre scholarship expected for the Ph.D.

Graduate Requirements

1. Residence Requirements Residence is calculated in terms of residence units: one residence unit corresponds to one academic semester of full-time study. Two residence units are the minimum requirement for the master's degree; six residence units are the minimum requirement for the doctoral degree. Some transfer of residence may be possible if a student has already completed graduate work elsewhere. Students are expected to complete residence with reasonable continuity. No more than seven years may intervene between the first registration in the Graduate School and the completion of the requirements for the doctoral degree, unless other arrangements have been made with the student's Special Committee and the Graduate School.
2. Examinations The theatre arts program administers two oral and/or written examinations for graduate degree candidates: (1) The examination for admission to doctoral candidacy ("A" examination) cannot take place until two units of residence credit have been accumulated; it must be taken before the start of the seventh unit of residence. At the completion of this examination, a student may be awarded a "special master's degree" by his/her committee; (2) The final examination for the degree of Ph.D. (dissertation defense, or "B" examination) must be taken and passed within four years after the completion of the required residence units or by the time seven years from the date of first registration have elapsed.

M.A./PhD Program Requirements

1. Foreign Languages The theatre arts program requires that all graduate students demonstrate proficiency in two languages other than English. Students are expected to pass a proficiency test in the first language by the end of the third unit of residence and in the second language prior to the "A" examination. The languages must be relevant to the student's research work, as approved by the student's committee.
2. Majors, Minors and Special Committee Graduate students are expected to declare their major and two minors and the composition of their Special Committee upon completion of two residence units. M.A./Ph.D. students in theatre arts must major in one of the three following areas: Theatre History or Theatre Theory and Aesthetics or Dramatic Literature and the Theatre The chair of the student's committee, usually but not always the supervisor of the thesis, must be from inside the theatre arts field and represent the student's major area of study. Students must have two minor areas (represented by members of their committee), one of which must be from inside and the other from outside the theatre arts field. In addition, students are strongly encouraged to include at least one faculty member from the Department of Theatre, Film and Dance on their committee. An incoming student will be assigned a committee chair by the director of Graduate Studies until he/she has formed a complete committee. Interdisciplinary programs are easily arranged by taking minors in other fields. Possible minors include (but are not limited to): Asian studies, anthropology, Africana studies, English, film history and theory, German, Russian, philosophy, and women's studies.
3. Coursework There are few required courses in the Ph.D. program. However, students are strongly encouraged to consider taking classes to provide a general background in theatre history, dramatic literature, and critical and dramatic theory, as well as those classes which address their specific area(s) of interest. Students are also encouraged to take at least one class in non-canonical or non-Western theatre, as well as the departmental proseminar, which is designed to introduce students to research methods, professional issues, and critical analysis. A student's course of study will be determined in consultation with his/her Special Committee, which will take into consideration the student's strengths and weaknesses as they pertain to general knowledge, as well as the student's specific area(s) of interest.
4. The "A" Exam The "A" exam may be designed to test not only the student's specific area of study, but also his/her general knowledge of theatre history, dramatic literature, and theory. The content of the "A" exam is determined by Special Committee members in consultation with the student. The student submits a reading list to the committee covering area(s) of specific interest. Upon approving the list, the committee will construct examination questions based on those readings. For purposes of demonstrating proficiency in the general knowledge component, students have the option of: (1) enrolling in classes in history, literature, and theory as determined by the committee; or (2) passing the general knowledge component of the "A" exam, such component to cover aspects of general knowledge not covered by coursework, as determined by the student's committee. Prior to taking the "A" exam, the student should consult with his/her Special Committee in order to determine those areas in need of further reading and preparation.