Theater Master's Degree Requirements

Faculty | Master's | Courses

The Department of Theater offers a three-year, 60-credit, in-residence professional training program in directing, dramaturgy, and scenic, costume, and lighting design. Graduates of the program receive Master of Fine Arts degrees and are prepared to work in resident professional theaters, in colleges and universities, and in many other areas of performance. After the first year, the graduate program is intensely specialized. In Group Studio students work together to create from scratch a performance which draws upon the experience and imagination of all. First-year students also take Theater in Societyboth to sharpen their research skills and to discover the repertory in social and historical contextand Text Analysis, which examines play texts as structures which imply potential productions. First-year students also participate in production through the studios and workshops of their specialties.

In the second and third years, directing, design and dramaturgy students are full participants in the Department of Theater production season, working collaboratively under the guidance of faculty artists. In an average year, the Department of Theater presents five or six fully mounted productions staffed by graduate students, faculty members, and guest artists. Students also continue studio work and, depending on the individual's interests and area of specialty, he or she may take advantage of the academic resources of the department and the University.

Students in the design programs often have the chance to assist faculty designers with their professional commitments. Internships can be arranged for dramaturgs, while dramaturgs and directors will find opportunities to participate in several new outreach programs in the surrounding communities.

The department collaborates on an ongoing basis with New WORLD Theater, a professional theater organization associated with the University's Fine Arts Center and devoted to the work of theater artists of color. Such collaborations include participation in co-productions, internships in literary management/dramaturgy, theater administration, graphic design, and educational services. Professional internships are also available in New Works for a New World, a joint summer professional play laboratory dedicated to developing new multicultural plays.

Enrollment in the graduate program in Theater is restricted in order to ensure the highest possible quality of training. The program is organized into three sequential periods of training. Admission to each successive period is by review only.

Applicants should follow the procedures and meet the requirements for admission established by the Graduate School. In addition, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) should have been earned on all previous college work. The Graduate Record Examination is required.

All applicants must submit a complete resume of production experiences and are encouraged to arrange for an on-campus interview. Applicants who wish to concentrate in dramaturgy and directing should submit appropriate critical essays. Dramaturgy applicants who are fluent in a second language will be given preference. Applicants who intend to focus their training in scenic, lighting, or costume design should submit a portfolio. Portfolios are returned upon request.

Completed application forms, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and examination scores should be sent directly to the Graduate Admissions Office, 518 Goodell, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003. All other supportive material should be sent to the Graduate Program Director, Department of Theater, 112 Fine Arts Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003.