Theater arts

The Theater Arts Department offers a master’s of arts (M.A.) degree that follows a one summer/one academic year structure and combines intellectually rigorous coursework with challenging artistic practicum. Like our undergraduate curriculum, our graduate program integrates the study of ancient and modern theater texts and practices, and it examines hemispheric and global approaches to performance. This M.A. program culminates in a capstone thesis project (creative and scholarly) following coursework in both academic and professional theater.

Students are required to complete 40 credits for the Theater Arts M.A. This includes three graduate seminars, Theater Arts 290A, 290B, and 290C, for a total of 15 credits. These courses are required of all M.A. candidates, whatever their area of emphasis. Students must also complete Theater Arts 293, a 10-credit performance research project that includes a professional internship project. Students may take this course in any quarter in the academic year. This work will have a significant academic component, supervised and assessed by a theater arts faculty member.

Students must also complete the 5-credit Theater Arts 295, Group Critique; 5 units of an Independent Study (Theater Arts 297); and the 5-credit Theater Arts 299, Capstone Thesis.

M.A. students may also take an undergraduate or graduate course in another department as an elective. These courses must be approved by the graduate committee and graduate director each academic year.

There are no teaching requirements for graduate students in the theater arts M.A. program; however, students are encouraged to act as teaching assistants while they are at UC Santa Cruz.

Requirements

• Transcripts. You may upload a scanned copy of your unofficial transcripts to your online application, or send official copies to the Graduate Application Processing address
• Statement of Purpose. Recommended length is a concise 2-4 pages, single-spaced.
• The Personal History Statement is required of all applicants.This statement will be used in conjunction with your application for graduate admission and financial support. Please note that the Personal History Statement should not duplicate the Statement of Purpose.
• A résumé is required for some applications and optional for others.
• All recommendation letters are required to be submitted electronically through the online application.  You must register a minimum of three recommenders, and as many as five, via the Recommendations page of the online application.
• The application fee for the 2016-17 academic year is $105 for domestic applicants and $125 for international applicants. This fee can be paid by credit card or e-check (the e-check option is only available if you have a U.S. bank account). 
• Official GRE scores must be sent from the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to UC Santa Cruz, School Code 4860 (no department code necessary).  Official scores must be received prior to the application deadline.
• If you are a non-native English speaker you will be required to take an English language competency exam.  UC Santa Cruz accepts the TOEFL or IELTS test.  Official scores must also be sent from the testing service to UC Santa Cruz, School Code 4860

Want to improve your English level for admission?

Prepare for the program requirements with English Online by the British Council.

• ✔️ Flexible study schedule
• ✔️ Experienced teachers
• ✔️ Certificate upon completion

📘 Recommended for students with an IELTS level of 6.0 or below.

Enroll in the course

Scholarships

• Regents Fellowships. A limited number of these fellowships are awarded to first-year graduate students in master's and doctoral programs. These awards provide a stipend and/or payment of university fees except non-resident tuition.
• Global Education