Graduate Studies : Graduate Programs :
Theatre : Program Requirements
Program Requirements
Master of Arts
MA candidates will normally follow the project-based option as described below. For the project-based option, all candidates must complete 10.5 units of graduate course work (as described in the separate entries below) and an MA Essay of 4.5 units. In exceptional cases, a candidate may be granted permission by the graduate adviser to follow the thesis option, which requires completion of 9 units of graduate course work and an MA thesis of 6 units.
Each student will be assigned a faculty supervisor who will assist the student in the development of the final project.
MA in Theatre - Theatre Studies (Thesis Option)
 
Course Requirements
Theatre History (including THEA 500A and 500B)
4.5
Courses to be chosen from a related discipline, to be approved by the Graduate Adviser (3 units may be taken at the 300 or 400 level)
4.5
MA Thesis (THEA 599)
6.0
Thesis
The candidate will submit the thesis and orally defend it as part of the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Program Length
The residency requirement is one year. The expected completion time is two years.
MA in Theatre - Theatre Studies (Project-based Option)
 
Course Requirements
Theatre History (including THEA 500A and 500B)
6.0
Courses chosen from a related discipline,
to be approved by the Graduate Adviser
(3 units may be at the 300 or 400 level)
4.5
MA Essay (THEA 598)
4.5
Final Project (MA Essay)
Under the direction of the faculty supervisor, the candidate will prepare, orally defend during examination and submit a paper suitable for presentation at a recognized scholarly conference or a refereed academic journal.
Under special circumstances, the faculty supervisor may approve a student’s request to pursue an MA thesis program. Information is available from the Graduate Adviser.
Program Length
The residency requirement is one year. The expected completion time is two years.
MA in Theatre - Applied Theatre (Thesis Option)
The faculty supervisor may approve a student's request to pursue an MA thesis program. Information is available from the Graduate Adviser.
 
Course Requirements
Methods and Materials of
Theatre Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
Research Methods in Applied Theatre
(THEA 535)
1.5
Other courses, totalling 4.5 units, to be chosen either from Theatre Department courses, or from a related discipline, to be approved by the Graduate Adviser (Units may be taken at the 300 or 400 level, up to a maximum of 3.0 units).
MA Thesis (THEA 599)
6.0
Total
15.0
Thesis
The candidate will submit the thesis and orally defend it as part of the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Program Length
The residency requirement is one year. The expected completion time is two years.
MA in Theatre - Applied Theatre (Project-based option)
 
Course requirements
Methods and Materials of Theatre
Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
Research Methods in Applied Theatre (THEA 535)
1.5
Other courses, totalling 4.5 units, to be chosen from Theatre Department courses, or from a related discipline, to be approved by the Graduate Adviser (Units may be taken at the 300 or 400 level, up to a maximum of 3.0 units).
Practical Project Associated with MA essay (THEA 590)
1.5
MA Essay (THEA 598)
4.5
Total
15.0
Final Project (MA Essay)
Under the direction of the faculty supervisor, the candidate will design and conduct a research project of workshops and/or performance activity that targets a specific client group. The candidate will prepare, orally defend during examination and submit a reflective paper.
Program Length
The residency requirement is one year. The expected completion time is two years.
Master of Fine Arts
Applicants must have practical theatre experience and may be required to take a diagnostic examination. Any deficiencies will represent additional requirements for the student and must be eliminated before the student may enrol in the graduate level courses in that area. All courses must be taken at the graduate level unless otherwise specified. Candidates may be required to write comprehensive examinations before proceeding to the practicum.
Each student will be assigned a faculty supervisor who will assist the student in the development of the thesis or practicum.
MFA in Directing – Project-based Option
MFA Directing students will direct a number of short projects and at least one full-length play before graduation.
A practicum production is required along with a practicum report.
Members of the performance faculty supervise all projects and productions.
 
Course Requirements
Methods and Materials of Theatre
Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
Directing and Advanced Directing (THEA 512, 515, 523)
6.0
Design and Production
(THEA 508, 509, 510, 520, 521, 522)
3.0
MFA Practicum (THEA 524)
6.0
Final Project THEA 524, MFA Practicum
A production to be decided upon in consultation with the student’s supervisor and the department’s graduate faculty.
Oral Examination
An oral defence of the practicum production is part of the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Normally this defence must occur within two months of the close of the production.
Other requirements
If a written comprehensive examination is required, it must be passed prior to commencing work on the practicum production. The comprehensive examination will emphasize the practical areas of the theatre but may include Theatre History.
Program Length
Normally two calendar years of residency.
MFA in Design/Production – Project-based Option
Candidates develop their knowledge and skills in three major fields of design for the theatre: scenery, costume and lighting. Practical application of theoretical knowledge and learned skills is particularly emphasized. Normally candidates provide designs for a number of departmental productions, specializing in one area of design, with a minor specialization in a second area.
 
Course Requirements
Methods and Materials of Theatre
Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
Design and Production
(THEA 508,509, 510, 511, 520, 521, 522)
12.0
MFA Practicum (THEA 524)
6.0
Final Project THEA 524, MFA Practicum
A production to be decided upon in consultation with the student’s supervisor and the department’s graduate faculty.
Oral Examination
An oral defence of the practicum production is part of the requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Normally this defence must occur within two months of the close of the production.
Other requirements
A written comprehensive examination may be required. If required, it must be written no later than the spring term of the second year and prior to commencing work on the practicum production.
Program Length
Normally two calendar years of residency.
PhD in Theatre
Two streams are available within the PhD program: one in Theatre Studies and one in Applied Theatre.
PhD in Theatre Studies
Doctoral students may propose and pursue research projects on a wide range of topics from Greek tragedy to Broadway musicals, dance to opera, melodrama to Modernism, spectacle to social identities, indigenous theatre to theatre technology. Faculty research in these areas coalesces around four themes: 1. Democracy and Community Empowerment, 2. War, Conflict, and Revolution, 3. Modernity and Technology and 4. Identity Formation.
 
Course Requirements
Methods and Materials of Theatre
Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
THEA 500A and 500B may be waived for students accepted into the program with a Theatre Master's degree from the University of Victoria.
Other courses, to be chosen either from Theatre Department courses, or from a related discipline, to be approved by the Graduate Adviser. (Up to 3 units may be taken at the 300 or 400 level)
3.0
Directed Studies (THEA 690)
3.0
Candidacy Exams (THEA 693)
3.0
Dissertation (THEA 699)
30.0
Total
42.0
PhD in Applied Theatre
Doctoral students may propose and pursue research projects on a wide variety of topics: from the history of Applied Theatre to the devising of contemporary plays that explore pressing social issues; from the educational uses of theatre in school to broader applications within the wider community; from theatre for young audiences to reminiscence and intergenerational theatre; from theatre in conflict and post-conflict zones to the uses of theatre with refugees and internally-displaced persons; and, from theatre for social justice to indigenous language revitalization initiatives. Faculty research in these areas coalesces around four themes: 1. democracy; 2. education and community empowerment; 3. conflict and war; and, 4. identity formation.
 
Course Requirements
Methods and Materials of Theatre
Research (including THEA 500A and 500B)
3.0
Research Methods in Applied Theatre (THEA 535)
1.5
THEA 500A, 500B and 535 may be waived for students accepted into the program with a Master's degree from the University of Victoria. These courses may be replaced by electives, to be chosen either from Theatre Department courses, or from a related discipline, to be approved by the Graduate Adviser. (Units may be taken at the 300 or 400 level, up to a maximum of 4.5 units)
Other graduate Seminars
1.5
Directed Studies (THEA 690)
3.0
Candidacy Exams (THEA 693)
3.0
Dissertation (THEA 699)
30.0
Total
42.0
Oral Examination
All doctoral candidates are required to prepare a dissertation of original content and publishable quality upon which they will be orally examined as per the regulations of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
The normal and expected format for the dissertation is a book-length study composed of continuous and connected chapters. With the support of the supervisor and supervisory committee, and if the subject is judged by all to warrant it, the candidate may choose an alternate format for the dissertation, such as a series of published, peer-reviewed papers. If a historical reconstruction of a performance is chosen as the most appropriate method of presenting the results of the research, such a project will be considered a component or "chapter" of the student's written dissertation, not a substitute for one.
Program Length
The entry point for the PhD in Theatre (Theatre Studies and Applied Theatre) is September only. The first two continuous calendar years are generally devoted to on-site course work, the third to completing coursework and THEA 693: Candidacy Exams, and the fourth, fifth, and (if necessary) sixth year to the research, writing, revision, and oral defence of the dissertation.