Track Description
The Master of Fine Arts in Theatre for Young Audiences track is designed for students who demonstrate the artistic and intellectual capacity and evidence of professional promise to pursue careers in professional and academic theatre.
The program is a highly selective, rigorous, three-year professional training program emphasizing both theatre theory and practice. The MFA degree is rooted in the belief that classroom study and practical experience in the theatre are of equal and complementary value. The production program, therefore, is integrated into the curriculum because it is the principal means available for the coordination of all the elements of dramatic art. We seek to pursue all possible ways to use the production program effectively for the purpose of teaching and training.
Students, in addition to becoming highly trained theatre practitioners, must also demonstrate the ability to understand the conceptual basis of their art and to be able to articulate that understanding to others. Toward this end, the department will recruit and develop graduate students who can serve, along with faculty and staff, as role models for undergraduate students whose BFA programs of study are integrally connected and dependent.
Curriculum
The Theatre for Young Audiences track of the Theatre MFA program requires 6 credit hours of core courses and 26 credit hours of specialization courses to be completed following a yearly schedule in addition to a thesis and an internship. The electives can be chosen (with instructor approval) from existing courses in the MFA tracks in Acting and Theatre for Young Audiences. Because allowed electives are both two- and three-credit-hour courses, the course of study shows a sliding number of credits for electives. Consequently, although 61 credit hours are required, a student may graduate with as many as 65 credit hours. Students earning the degree are expected to demonstrate proficiency in their area of specialization.
Total Credit Hours Required: 61 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor’s Degree
Required Courses—32 Credit Hours
Core—6 Credit Hours
- THE 5910 - Research Methods in Theatre 3 Credit Hours
- THE 6086C - Careers in Professional Theatre 3 Credit Hours
Specialization—26 Credit Hours
- THE 6756 - Methods of Teaching Drama 3 Credit Hours
- THE 5385 - Dramatic Literature for Children 3 Credit Hours
- TPA 5081C - Design Concepts for Youth Theatre 3 Credit Hours
- TPP 5386C - Directing for Young Audiences 3 Credit Hours
- THE 6726 - Advanced TYA Seminar 3 Credit Hours
- TPP 5289C - Acting Methodologies 2 Credit Hours
- THE 6507 - Dramatic Theory and Criticism 3 Credit Hours
- TPP 6216C - Theatre for Young Audiences Tour 3 Credit Hours
- TPP 6247 - Theatre for Social Change 3 Credit Hours
Elective Courses—11 Credit Hours
- TPP 6686 - Playwriting for Young Audiences 3 Credit Hours
- TPP 5246C - Circus Arts 2 Credit Hours
- TPA 5885C - Puppetry 2 Credit Hours
- TPP 5125C - Improvisation Studio 2 Credit Hours
- TPP 5248C - Storytelling as a Theatrical Art Form 2 Credit Hours
- TPP 5935C - Contemporary Practices in Youth Theatre 2 Credit Hours
Thesis—6 Credit Hours
- THE 6971 Thesis 6 Credit Hours
Internship—6-12 Credit Hours
The internship must be a minimum of 6 credits with the option of taking up to 12 credits. If students decide to only take the minimum 6 internship credits, the remaining 6 credits must be taken in the electives area.
Students must maintain a minimum “B” (3.0) overall Theatre grade point average to continue in the major. Theatre courses with grades of less than “C” will not be counted toward degree requirements. A student’s continuation in the program is contingent upon a positive annual evaluation. Students must successfully complete an internship, present a written journal documenting their experience and a thesis project. The thesis proposal must be approved in advance.
- THE 6948 - Professional Internship 4 Credit Hours
Examination
A comprehensive departmental Theatre exam is administered to the MFA students in the Theatre for Young Audiences Track at the end of their course work. The department allows two attempts at a comprehensive exam.
Transfer and Residency
Students who do not hold a master’s degree can usually transfer up to nine semester hours into this program. Ordinarily, students holding completed MS or MA degrees will not be admitted into the MFA program. Each case will be evaluated on an individual basis. Final acceptance and number of credits to be transferred will be determined by a graduate faculty committee. A minimum of 51 credits must be taken at the University of Central Florida. A student without an earned master’s degree must complete a residency requirement of at least five semesters with at least four of them being full-time, consecutive semesters. Summer session may be counted toward the four consecutive semesters.
Independent Learning
The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of a master’s thesis.
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- Undergraduate degree in Theatre or equivalent.
- A 3.0 Theatre GPA.
- Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
- NOTE: The GRE has been removed as an admission requirement for this graduate program for applicants applying Spring 2021 through the Fall 2021 term. This is a temporary measure in response to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Essay stating applicant’s academic and professional goals.
- Résumé.
- An 8 X 10 headshot.
- Three letters of recommendation.
- An audition.
- Interview.
- Complete the general entrance and area specific undergraduate prequisites or their equivalents.
- Applicants applying to this program who have attended a college/university outside the United States must provide a course-by-course credential evaluation with GPA calculation. Credential evaluations are accepted from World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc. only.
Auditions, Portfolio, and Interview Requirements:
- MFA Theatre for Young Audiences applicants are required to participate in an onsite interview and students must either audition (perform two contrasting monologues, not to exceed three minutes total) or give a creative presentation.
For more details about these requirements, contact the Theatre Department at www.theatre.cah.ucf.edu.
General Entrance and Area Specific Prerequisites—Students applying for entrance into the MFA Programs must have successfully completed the following undergraduate courses or their equivalent:
- Acting—Script Analysis or Play Analysis, Directing I, Theatre History I and II, Dramatic Literature I and II, Stage Voice I, Stage Voice II, Stage Movement I, Stage Movement II, Acting I, Acting II, Acting III.
- Musical Theatre—Fundamentals of Music, Acting I, Acting II, Musical Theatre Voice I, Musical Theatre Voice II are all recommended.
- Design—Script Analysis or Play Analysis, Directing I, Theatre History I and II, Dramatic Literature I and II, Stagecraft I, Stagecraft II, Theatre Drafting, 2D CADD, Scene Design I, Lighting Design I, Costume Construction, Costume Design I.
- Theatre for Young Audiences—Script Analysis or Play Analysis, Directing I, Theatre History I and II, Dramatic Literature I and II, as well as experience in some area of theatre and/or education.
Meeting minimum UCF admission criteria does not guarantee program admission. Final admission is based on evaluation of the applicant’s abilities, past performance, recommendations, match of this program and faculty expertise to the applicant’s career/academic goals, and the applicant’s potential for completing the degree.
No part-time students will be admitted into the MFA program.
Application Deadlines
| Theatre for Young Audiences MFA | *Fall Priority | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Domestic Applicants | Jan 15 | Mar 1 |
| International Applicants | Jan 15 | Jan 15 |
| *Applicants who plan to enroll full time in a degree program and who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply by the Fall Priority date. |
Financials
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowships
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student’s graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
