Master of Fine Arts in Shakespeare and Performance
Doreen Bechtol, Matt Davies, and Peter Kirwan, Co-Directors.
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree is the terminal degree in theatre. Requests to proceed to the MFA program should be made during the fall semester of the year of expected MLitt graduation. An interview with MFA faculty is required. Acceptances granted to students in the final year of their MLitt studies are conditional on the successful completion of that degree. Upon completion of their MLitt requirements, students are admitted to the 30 s.h. MFA degree. The twelve-month (early May to late April) degree is an immersive, collaborative experience during which students rotate through the program’s four core competencies (teaching, acting, directing, dramaturgy) while producing and performing a repertory of plays. Course work will be modular, allowing for flexibility of scheduling and instruction. The experience culminates in a festival presentation of all of the repertory of shows. In addition to fulfilling all evaluated components of the program, students will produce an assessed piece of writing, a collaborative thesis, with their fellow MFA students.
The MFA Thesis Project Consists of:
- A thesis in either critical portfolio or scholarly article format
- An oral presentation and defense of the thesis before an examining panel of at least one faculty member
- A chapter for the company book
Note: MFA 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.
Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts Degree (MFA)
Minimum GPA of 3.3;
A minimum of 70 semester hours, including those earned for the MLitt degree and these 30 s.h.;
Summer 1
Fall Term
Spring Term
Invitational Post-Baccalaureate Portfolio Options
Exceptional candidates who have already completed a Masters degree or have extraordinary professional experience may be considered for an accelerated route to completion of the MFA without award of the MLitt. Students pursuing this route must present a Post-Baccalaureate portfolio for award of 15–18 semester hours of prior learning credit, which should provide a detailed account of previous experience and its relation to analogous courses in the S&P graduate catalog. If a Post-Baccalaureate Portfolio applicant is deemed eligible for fewer than 15 granted credits, the candidate will be advised to proceed with the standard MLitt/MFA academic program, with a possibility for award of transfer credits.
The program offers two routes for accelerated completion of the MFA:
1) Company Pathway: 66 credits
Students with a prior Masters degree or equivalent professional experience may be invited to study for a 66-credit version of the MFA in Shakespeare & Performance on a two-year full-time basis. The student will be awarded 15–18 prior learning credits (PLC) against MLitt courses, and will then complete a minimum of 48 hours in the S&P program as a full-time student, comprised of 18 credits of MLitt courses in the first year and 30 credits of core MFA courses in the second year, including the MFA thesis.
Core MLitt courses for this pathway (which may be replaced by PLC)
REN 500 Shakespeare or REN 557 Early Modern Theatre-Making
REN 515 Acting for the Early Modern Stage
REN 531 Early/Modern Ensemble
REN 551 Shakespeare Pedagogy
REN 553 Directing for the Early Modern Stage
REN 670 Dramaturgy
Core MFA courses (which may not be replaced by PLC)
REN 810 Company Dramaturgy
REN 811 Company Management
REN 812 Company Acting A
REN 813 Company Directing A
REN 814 Company Dramaturgy A
REN 815 Thesis A
REN 823 Company Directing B
REN 822 Company Acting B
REN 824 Company Dramaturgy B
REN 825 Thesis B
2) Individual Pathway: 54 credits
Students with exceptional professional experience may be invited to study for a 54-credit part-time version of the MFA in Shakespeare & Performance on a personalized timeline. The student will be awarded 15–18 prior learning credits against MLitt and MFA courses, and will then complete a minimum of 36 hours in the S&P program, to be determined by individual arrangement with program directors, and which must include REN 815 Thesis A and REN 825 Thesis B.