Arts and Humanities Fact Sheet (PDF)

Theatre

The Theatre Department offers a Master of Arts (MA) degree program, intended to ground the student in advanced fundamentals of theatrical theories and practice while accommodating individual interests and strengths. Comprised of a broad curriculum that balances both academic and production experiences, the MA program constitutes a period of study and practice en route to professional work, teaching or further advanced degrees.The program includes a carefully planned combination of theory and practice; however, with attentive counseling, students determine a sub-specialization in history, criticism or some aspect of performance, technology, or design. 

At Binghamton University, students practice theatre in excellent facilities and receive individual guidance in small classes and through close advising. Qualified MA degree candidates may have the opportunity to teach a section of an undergraduate course, undertake assistantships in technical theatre or departmental administration, mount productions in the studio theaters, or act, direct, design or write as part of the department's theatre and dance season.

Graduate Degrees Offered

• MA in Theatre. Concentrations, though not required, are available in the following:
  • Directing
  • Performance
  • Technical Production/Design
  • Theory and Criticism

Application Deadlines

Rolling admission, with a deadline of February 15 for funding consideration for fall admission. Final deadline for review of materials for all other fall admission applications is May 1.

Admission Requirements*

The standards maintained by The Graduate School and individual departments and programs are applied to ensure that applicants admitted to the University are well qualified and trained to study at this institution and have a reasonable expectation of successfully completing a graduate program, and who, with the benefit of graduate education, are most likely to contribute substantially to their academic or professional fields.

To be eligible, you must have and provide:

• A bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a nationally or regionally accredited college or university
• Complete set of your undergraduate and graduate transcripts. At minimum, a 3.0 GPA is required. See details.

All applicants must submit the following:

• Online graduate degree application and application fee
• Transcripts from each college/university you have attended. Undergraduate major in theatre is not required; however, students lacking a suitable background in theatre studies are required to satisfactorily complete certain undergraduate courses beyond those required for the graduate degree.
• Three letters of recommendation
• Personal statement (2-3 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing graduate study, your career aspirations, your special interests within your field, and any unusual features of your background that might need explanation or be of interest to your program's admissions committee.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
• Official GRE scores
• If available, the following may be submitted to supply the Graduate Committee with supplementary information. All supplementary application materials must be e-mailed to gradthea@binghamton.edu.
  
  • Writing sample (one paper from an upper-division undergraduate course of no more than 20 pages) 
  • Samples of theatrical work (a portfolio in electronic or DVD form) of tech/design and/or performance work

And, for international applicants:

• International Student Financial Statement form (PDF)
• Official bank statement/proof of support
• Official TOEFL or IELTS scores

*This information is subject to change. While we make every effort to keep it accurate and up-to-date, we recommend you contact the department for program-specific requirements.