Master of Letters in Shakespeare and Performance

Doreen Bechtol, Matt Davies, and Peter Kirwan, Co-Directors.

The Master of Letters (MLitt) degree is a two-year degree, which can be taken in isolation or which leads naturally into the one-year MFA terminal degree. The MLitt provides a rigorous and innovative degree balancing scholarly research with professional training. The program trains students to be multi-hyphenate scholar-practitioners, grounded in an in-depth understanding of classical drama. The degree trains students across four main areas of concentration – Acting, Directing, Dramaturgy, and Education – with the requirement to acquire a foundational skills base in all areas, and the option to choose electives to develop specialist skills.The MLitt has a distinctive professional focus, training students in the practical skills to enter a number of professions, but privileging flexibility in acknowledgment of the diverse portfolio career paths available to scholars and practitioners. The MLitt requires students to collaborate closely with one another and with faculty in the generation of shared outcomes, from podcasts to productions, group writing projects to thesis Festival presentations, and thus to contextualize their own excellence and leadership within the needs of others.

The MLitt Thesis Project

All candidates for the MLitt degree must complete REN 700, the Thesis Project for the MLitt degree. MLitt students may enroll for the project after they have completed 18 s.h. of coursework. The project must be approved by the program director and regularly supervised by a member of the program faculty. For more information, see the S&P Student Handbook and MLitt Thesis Proposals and Enrollment.

The MLitt Thesis Project Consists of:

• A thesis;
• A 20-minute staged presentation in support of the thesis; and
• An oral defense before an examining panel of at least two faculty members.

Note: MLitt students are required to be on campus to defend the thesis in person unless the S&P Director waives the requirement upon request of the student or recommendation of the thesis supervisor.

MLitt Thesis Proposals and Enrollment

Students may enroll for their final projects after they have completed 18 s.h. of coursework towards the MLitt degree, and when their proposals have been approved by the following process: Students submit formal proposals for their thesis projects, and are then assigned a supervising committee consisting of one full-time faculty member who will serve as first reader, and at least one other reader who will usually be drawn from the S&P teaching team. Occasionally, qualified outside examiners may form part of the examining committee. Once these steps have been taken, students must have their project approved by S&P directors in order to enroll in the final project (REN 700). It is in the student’s best interests to consult regularly with the project supervisor and any other faculty who may provide helpful advice during development of the thesis and planning for performances. It is also advisable to prepare for work on the thesis by taking REN 695 in May Term or an exploratory REN 590 Directed Inquiry. It is extremely unwise to leave preparation of the thesis until the student’s final semester.

After the oral defense, a thesis may be accepted without revision; accepted conditionally, in which case the examiners will specify the revisions or additions needed; or rejected. In the case of rejection, a student may be required to resubmit the thesis, or an alternative thesis, for a second and final attempt. Acceptance, and the award of the degree, requires the unanimous consent of the examining committee. Students should consult the most recent S&P Thesis Manual and S&P Student Handbook for details of the process, format for preparation of the thesis, the steps required for enrollment, etc.

MFA Admission

Students staying for the MFA degree are required to complete at least 40 s.h. before matriculating into the MFA degree program, a 30-s.h. program, which, when added together, total the required 70 s.h. for both degrees.

Note: A Minimum GPA of 3.0 is required to remain in “good standing” as an MLitt student; and a minimum GPA of 3.3 is required for admission to the MFA program.