Illinois Theatre

The program leading to the Master of Arts degree in Theatre History is designed to nurture research skills and an understanding of theatrical performance which will be useful to the potential theatre teacher and scholar. Suited especially to those who propose eventually to undertake doctoral study, the degree emphasizes the history and theory of theatre and drama in an interdisciplinary approach.

Admission Requirements
A student who wishes to be considered for admission to graduate work in theatre should present the equivalent of at least nine hours of undergraduate college work in theatre. An undergraduate degree in theatre is not required. The committee on admissions tends to select those applicants showing interest in studying theatre as a cultural expression in a broad intellectual context. The committee also selects those with promise of earning degrees within a reasonable time. Preference is given to applicants who will be full-time students and active degree candidates.

Applications
Anyone interested in applying should visit the Illinois Graduate College website and apply online. Applicants are required to complete this form, pay a processing fee, and supply the following material.

• Transcripts of all previous college work.
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores in the verbal aptitude section.
• Three letters of recommendation, preferably from instructors of the applicant's theatre and drama classes (sent separately by the letter writers).
• Two original scholarly or critical essays on theatre history or drama. These may be papers written for earlier courses or newly written for the application.
• A statement of professional intentions and a resume of activities in theatrical production.
• Foreign students must also submit official TOEFL scores. The current minimum score for acceptance is 550. In addition, the Test of Written English (TWE) is strongly encouraged for non-native speakers.

The deadline for applications is January 15, and decisions are ordinarily announced by February 15 in the spring preceding enrollment. Additional information can be obtained by contacting the Department of Theatre:

Department of Theatre, MC-072
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
4-122 Krannert Center for the Performing Arts
500 S. Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, Illinois 61801
(217) 333-2371

Financial Aid
The Department offers a limited number of tuition waivers, teaching and research assistantships, and fellowships to MA students. Tuition and fee waivers are included in all assistantships and fellowships. Assistantships are ordinarily renewable as long as the student remains in good standing.

Summary of Requiremants for the MA Degree
Candidates must spend at least two semesters in residence completing at least 32 hours of course work in theatre and related studies. Of these 32 hours, 12 hours must be in courses numbered 500 or higher. The Department further requires MA candidates to include:

• At least 20 hours of theatre history, literature, and theory to be selected from:

Theatre 460 Multi-Ethnic Theatre
Theatre 461 History of Theatre I
Theatre 462 History of Theatre II
Theatre 465 History of American Musical Theatre I
Theatre 466 History of American Musical Theatre II
Theatre 463 History of American Theatre I
Theatre 464 History of American Theatre II
Theatre 467 Contemporary Theatrical Forms
Theatre 560 Seminar in Theatre History (topics vary)
Theatre 564 Studies in Theatre History of the 20th Century (topics vary)
Theatre 591 Special Topics (topics vary)

• At least four hours in applied theatre (dramaturgy, acting, directing, design, stage management, theatre technology, etc.).

• MA candidates are encouraged to take courses in other departments, including History, English, Education, Ethnic Studies, Gender and Women’s Studies, Film Studies, etc. Opportunities exist for double major and minor degrees.

• Candidates must also successfully pass a comprehensive examination, based largely on theatre history and theory. This examination is written over two three-hour sessions and should be taken no later than the end of the second year of study.

• Thesis Option: In exceptional cases, candidates may opt to write a master’s thesis in lieu of taking the comprehensive examination. Interested candidates must submit a thesis prospect by April 30 at the end of their first year of coursework. The prospect should be about ten pages in length and include a summary of the thesis topic and a description of the research methodology. A thesis committee consisting of at least three members of the graduate faculty should be formed. One of the committee members should be the thesis advisor. The prospectus must be approved by the thesis committee before the candidate can begin writing the thesis. The completed thesis should be submitted to the committee at least by March 31 of the second year of the candidate’s coursework. The thesis must be approved by the deadline set by the Graduate College for May graduation.