Applicable only to students admitted during the 2024-2025 academic year.

Theater

School of Theater, Film, and Television

Graduate Degrees

The Department of Theater offers the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Theater and the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Theater and Performance Studies.

Theater

Master’s Degrees

Admissions Requirements

Master of Fine Arts

Advising

In most instances, the chair of the appropriate graduate committee acts as principal adviser to students in the program, although some students may be assigned by the chair to other members of the faculty. Each program has a specific procedure and calendar for assignment of each student’s committee. Students should consult the adviser for this information.

Students meet with their adviser for program planning prior to the beginning of each quarter and again early in each quarter for formal approval of the study list. Students are urged to confer with their adviser as frequently as necessary to discuss program changes, petitions, and other concerns.

Assessment of student academic progress in the program is made by the appropriate committee during the final examination week of each quarter. The adviser then notifies students of problems in writing, when warranted, and assists in planning a solution. Normally, committee recommendations are referred directly to the chair of the department, though in some instances, special problems may be referred to the faculty for recommendation of action to the chair.

Areas of Study

Acting; Design for Theater and Entertainment (Costume, Lighting, Scenic); Directing; Playwriting.

Foreign Language Requirement

None.

Course Requirements

Acting. 30 courses (94 units) are required for the degree; of these, 82 units must be graduate-level (200- and 400-series) courses. A maximum of 12 units of 596 courses may be applied toward the total number of units for the degree.

Design for Theater and Entertainment. For students in Costume Design, 26 courses (104 units) are required for the degree; for students in Lighting Design, 25 courses (104 units) are required for the degree; and for students in Scenic Design, 24 courses (104 units) are required for the degree. Of these 104 units, 94 units must be graduate-level (200- and 400-series) courses. A maximum of 10 units of upper division courses and a maximum of 12 units of 596 courses may be applied toward the total number of units for the degree.

Directing. 28 courses (106 units) are required for the degree; of these, 94 units must be graduate-level (200- and 400-series) courses. A maximum of 12 units of upper division courses and a maximum of 12 units of 596 courses may be applied toward the total number of units for the degree.

Playwriting. 23 courses (94 units) are required for the degree; of these, 82 units must be graduate-level (200- and 400-series) courses. A maximum of 12 units of upper division courses and a maximum of 12 units of 596 courses may be applied toward the total number of units for the degree.

All courses applied toward the degree must be taken for a letter grade, with the exception of those that only have an ‘S/U’ grading option.

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 12 units per quarter. Required courses are scheduled to permit completion within a three-year period.

Specific course requirements for each program are available in the Student Services Office.

Teaching Experience

Not required.

Field Experience

For the Design for Theater and Entertainment, Directing, and Playwriting Programs, a professional internship experience associated with a theater, film, television, or entertainment company is required.

Capstone Plan

The plan is satisfied by fulfilling a series of creative projects appropriate to student specializations. On completion of the final creative project or in the last quarter of residence, whichever is last, students must file for advancement to candidacy. The committee then reviews and evaluates students’ records. Student participation in the final review is at the discretion of the committee. If students fail the review and evaluation of their creative work by the examining committee, they may, with the approval of the department chair, be reexamined.

Thesis Plan

None.

Time-to-Degree

Normal progress toward the degree is for students to be enrolled in their specialized areas for a continuous period until all required courses are completed, typically seven to nine quarters. Maximum residency in these specializations is 12 quarters.

SPECIALIZATION	DEGREE	NORMATIVE TIME TO ATC (Quarters)	NORMATIVE TTD	MAXIMUM TTD
Acting	M.F.A.	8	8	12
Costume Design	M.F.A.	9	9	12
Directing	M.F.A.	9	9	12
Lighting Design	M.F.A.	9	9	12
Playwriting	M.F.A.	9	9	12
Scenic Design	M.F.A.	9	9	12

Academic Disqualification and Appeal of Disqualification

University Policy

A student who fails to meet the above requirements may be recommended for academic disqualification from graduate study. A graduate student may be disqualified from continuing in the graduate program for a variety of reasons. The most common is failure to maintain the minimum cumulative grade point average (3.00) required by the Academic Senate to remain in good standing (some programs require a higher grade point average). Other examples include failure of examinations, lack of timely progress toward the degree and poor performance in core courses. Probationary students (those with cumulative grade point averages below 3.00) are subject to immediate dismissal upon the recommendation of their department. University guidelines governing academic disqualification of graduate students, including the appeal procedure, are outlined in Standards and Procedures for Graduate Study at UCLA.

Special Departmental or Program Policy

In addition to the standard reasons outlined above, a student may be recommended for Academic Probation/Disqualification by the department. Prior to any such action, the department would provide the student with an opportunity to resolve any issues through Departmental Probation.

Department faculty will convene to review student progress and assess any applicable issues that may result in a student being placed on Departmental Probation.

The departmental expected standard of scholarship requires that a grade of B or better is required in any core course required for the student’s respective area of study. Courses receiving a grade of C or below cannot be applied towards degree completion, and the outstanding requirement must be fulfilled (by approved repeat or substitute coursework) in order to advance to candidacy and complete the degree.

If a student does not meet satisfactory expectations of scholarship and/or conduct, by recommendation of the department, the student will be placed on probation.

The student will receive notification of probation in writing, which will outline:

• Identification of the issue to be corrected.
• A suggested plan to correct the issue.
• An agreed upon schedule and timeline towards expected correction, generally in the following term.
• Consequences of failure to correct the issue.

At the end of the subsequent term, if the student does not provide sufficient evidence of improvement to remove the probationary status, the committee may recommend academic disqualification to the faculty and chair of the department.

A student on Departmental Probation cannot be recommended for a Teaching Assistant position until the probationary status is removed. A TAship is not required for a student to graduate.