Master of Arts in Theatre

Graduate students in theatre at Miami are given the unique opportunity to participate in a program devoted solely to one degree, the Master of Arts. The MA is typically a two-year program, but can also be completed in one year as part of a combined BA/MA. Intended to prepare students for work in the professional theatre or further study at the doctoral or MFA level, the MA provides students with a foundation in performance theory and criticism, dramatic literature and theatre history, while at the same time allowing students to refine skills as directors, playwrights, dramaturgs, or designers.

At any given time, there are between seven and ten graduate students in the program, which allows faculty mentors to devote a significant amount of personalized attention to each student. Our faculty remains active outside the university, publishing books and essays, editing journals, participating at national and international conferences, and pursuing professional work as directors, acting coaches, and designers.

Students come to our program from throughout the US and the world, with a wide variety of theatre and life experience, making the community a diverse and exciting place to study. Our recent graduates have consistently achieved success inprestigious PhD and MFA programs nationwide, while others have gone on to work in the professional theatre or to teach at the secondary level.

Program of Study

The program of study requires 34 credit hours total, typically accumulated over a two-year period of residence. Three required courses lay the foundation for student creative research (9 hours):

Theatre Research and Methodology,

Performance Theory or Theatre Historiography,

One seminar in theatre studies (topics have included: Woman and Theatre,Postcolonialism and Performance, Community-Based Theatre, Latin AmericanTheatre, Performing Race in America, and Shakespearean Dramaturgy).

Students must also take 4 hours of Graduate Colloquium (issues in theatre and graduatestudies), 6 hours of Graduate Studio, and 6 hours of thesis credit. Nine credithours are left open to students who can use these three courses to specialize in a studio or scholarly area.

Thesis Requirement

Student coursework culminates in either a research-based scholarly thesis, or a creative thesis. The creative thesis allows students to apply theory and research to artistic practice in a major project. A creative thesis might include the direction of a full-length play in the Department of Theatre season; taking on a significant design or dramaturgy assignment; or a performance project. Creative theses are guided by faculty mentors and require an accompanying monograph to interpret, contextualize, and reflect upon the artistic project.

Graduate Assistantships and Scholarships

Graduate assistantships at Miami offer students full tuition remission and a living stipend while allowing them to gain valuable experience teaching and workingwith faculty and staff in other departmental areas. Some graduate positions include

Teaching Introduction to Theatre for Non-Majors

Teaching Acting for the Non-Major

Working with faculty as a research assistant

Working as part of an editorial staff on national journals

Working as a marketing and front-of-house liaison for the Department