2020-2021 Graduate Catalog
Theatre MFA, Acting Track
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Track Description
We are not accepting applications for Fall 2021. Our next recruitment cycle begins in Spring 2022 for Fall 2022 admission.
The Master of Fine Arts in Theatre offers an Acting track 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 BA and BFA programs of study are integrally connected and dependent.
Curriculum
The Acting track of the Theatre MFA program requires 47 credit hours of core and specialization courses that follow a suggested 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, Musical Theatre, Design, 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 the 61 credit hours are required, a student may graduate with as many as 65 credit hours.
Total Credit Hours Required: 61 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor’s Degree
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. All Acting program students are required to audition for all fall and spring productions and must accept the roles assigned. A student’s continuation in the program is contingent upon a positive annual evaluation. Students must successfully complete internship and thesis requirements. The thesis proposal must be approved in advance.
Of the 61 hours required for the Acting track, the following courses constitute the MFA Graduate Core Curriculum. See the Course Schedule below for an understanding of how the curricular elements are articulated.
Required Courses: 47 Credit Hours
Specialization: 41 Credit Hours
Shown below is the suggested course schedule.
Thesis: 6 Credits
- THE 6971 - Thesis 6 Credit Hours
Internship: 8 Credit Hours Minimum
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.
- A 3.0 Theatre GPA.
- An 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 prerequisites 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 Acting applicants are required to participate in an interview and perform two contrasting monologues.
For more details about these requirements, contact the Theatre Department at 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 the 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
| Acting MFA |
*Fall Priority |
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
| Domestic Applicants |
Jan 15 |
Mar 1 |
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| International Applicants |
Jan 15 |
Jan 15 |
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| *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.
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