The M.F.A. degree requires a minimum of 60 credit hours of graduate work, with an emphasis in your area of specialization. These include acting, directing, costume design, lighting design, playwriting, scenic design, and theatre technology.

Our students must maintain a grade point average of at least 3.0 in all course work taken for graduate credit. Students receiving financial aid must maintain a grade point average of 3.2.

Normally, only those courses that have been taken within a five-year period prior to the awarding of the M.F.A. will count toward the 60-hour requirement.

The 60 hours of graduate work include:

• Three hours in research methods and materials (T500)
• Six graduate hours in the area of theatre history, theory, or dramatic literature
• A minimum of twenty-one hours of courses numbered 500 or above
• In addition, an M.F.A. course of study may include twelve hours in an allied field (fifteen hours in Costume Design) in another department
• A production thesis is required of all students, for which a maximum of ten credits may be taken

Each M.F.A. candidate is required to complete a major creative project each year, building a solid resume of experience. These projects are reviewed by the M.F.A. committee in your area of specialization and critiqued by your faculty advisor.

After this annual evaluation, your committee forwards a recommendation to the Graduate Committee. Those students who have clearly demonstrated growth and excellence are invited to remain in the program.

Each M.F.A. candidate also completes a thesis project in the third year. The thesis project includes an oral examination, an oral defense of the project, and an appropriate written record, following a format prescribed by the department.