Doctor of Philosophy in Performing and Media Arts

The graduate program in Performing and Media Arts focuses on research, writing, pedagogy, and praxis in order to prepare students for careers as scholars and teachers. Students may work with a strong emphasis in either theatre and performance studies or cinema and media studies, and they are also encouraged to find novel, fresh, and rigorous ways to produce work at interdisciplinary sites of contact between theatre and performance studies on the one hand and cinema and media studies on the other hand. A student's Special Committee is made up of three faculty members, two PMA field faculty members representing the student's major area (theater and performance studies, cinema and media studies, or theatre theory and aesthetics) and a third, from outside the PMA field faculty, representing the student's minor area. Students whose interdisciplinary interests encompass more areas of study may add a fourth committee member. Possible areas include (but are not limited to): Directing or Acting Pedagogy, Film and Video Studies, Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies, LGBT Studies, Africana Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, English, German, Music, Near Eastern Studies, and American Studies.

The field of Performing and Media Arts requires each graduate student to consult with their special committee to decide what study, if any, in a second language is most appropriate for a student's graduate program and scholarly interests. Some special committees will require graduate students to demonstrate competency and/or fluency in one or two languages. When applicable, a graduate student may be asked to demonstrate competence and/or fluency in specific languages by presenting their undergraduate record, taking additional courses in a specific language and literature, or translating and discussing documents related to the student's work.

Eligibility: Applicants must currently have, or expect to have, at least a BA or BS (or the equivalent) in any field before matriculation. International students, please verify degree equivalency here. Applicants are not required to meet a specified GPA minimum.
Admission is highly selective. Applicants must submit a scholarly writing sample. An undergraduate major in theatre, film, or a related discipline is not required for admission, although applicants who have had little or no academic work in performance and/or media may have to do more than others to acquire the competence in scholarship expected in the program.
all Graduate School Requirements, including the TOEFL Exam or IELTS Academic Exam for non-native English applicants
Statement of Purpose
Three recommendations
Writing sample
Transcripts
Scan transcripts from each institution you have attended or are currently attending, and upload into the academic information section of the application.
TOEFL iBT - 77 (Writing 20, Listening 15, Reading 20, Speaking 22)
IELTS - 7.0 or higher