Theatre (MA - MFA)

Texas State was recently ranked among the top ten performing arts schools in the United States, garnering local, regional and national awards. The M.F.A. degree expands the skills of students, preparing them to work in regional and national theatres and to teach at the university level.

Course Work

The department offers a 60-credit-hour master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree. The hours vary based on the area of specialization, and the culmination of the M.F.A. degree is a creative project. Students take active roles in the field with directing, writing and design projects, conference presentations and publications. Summer opportunities include professional internships, course work taken as part of the department’s Oregon Shakespeare Intensive and a Shakespeare in England study abroad program. Graduate courses are offered during the day because of graduate student involvement in theatre productions.

Program Details

Students regularly earn honors at the regional and national levels of the American College Theatre Festival and present at national and international conferences.

Program Mission

The Department of Theatre and Dance at Texas State University offers a rigorous practice-based master of fine arts (M.F.A.) in directing and design. The M.F.A. is designed to prepare students to work as practitioners and innovators professionally, as well as teach in a university setting. 

Career Options

There are a variety of career options for students completing the M.F.A. in theatre, including: 

• intimacy coordinator 
• artistic director
• freelance director
• producing director
• dramaturg
• university professor 
• industrial/architectural lighting designer
• theatre designer
• themed entertainment designer
• live event designer
• education director

Program Faculty

The program's faculty are active in their fields, directing and designing nationally and internationally; at Disney Parks, on Broadway, at Regional theatres, Shakespeare Festivals, and the Kennedy Center. They display work at the Prague Quadrennial, United Institute for Theatre Technology, and have published scholarly monographs, textbooks, and in journals. Faculty are highly sought-after freelance artists who have won numerous awards and regularly present designs and workshops at regional and national conferences.