The University of Kentucky Department of Theatre prides itself on giving individual attention to all of its students, and graduate students in particular. Candidates for the Master of Arts in Theatre can pick from a wide variety of classes to fulfill their degree. The MA program at the University of Kentucky allows maximum flexibility for students who are pursuing an education that is strong in both the academic and practical aspects of theatre. Although the program offers rigorously structured academic classes in areas like History, Literature, Script Analysis, and Critical Theories, it also contains courses in Playwriting, Directing, and Design.
This creates a program which is very flexible, and which is intended to meet the needs of many different types of students from varied backgrounds and with varied goals. The University of Kentucky desires to achieve the widest possible diversity in its student body, faculty, and areas of study.
ADMISSIONS
The Graduate School at the University of Kentucky is its own separate college, and all grad students are governed by it rather than by the college where their department is located; in our case, in the College of Fine Arts. All administrative decisions are made by the Graduate School. Applications must be filed with that college, and online. In addition to the requirements of the Graduate School, the Theatre Department has its own application requirements, and these have been distilled into a checklist.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
The MA in Theatre program has certain requirements that must be met for graduation. Students must complete at least 30 hours of course work, some of that from a list of core curriculum classes, but many from electives. Six hours of electives can be taken outside the theatre department as long as the classes are in an approved, related field. Twelve hours per semester is considered to be a full load for grad students, but TA's are encouraged to take only nine because they have classroom duties to perform as well as their studies. The list of available classes contains a variety of academic and practical courses. The core curriculum classes are offered on a regular schedule as noted, but some of the electives are offered when student demand is high.
Degrees can be of either the plan A or plan B type. Plan A includes a thesis, while Plan B has a comprehensive exam. Students are very highly encouraged to follow the Plan A track. More information about this can be found in the Graduate School Bulletin.
ASSISTANTSHIPS
The Department of Theatre offers several Teaching Assistantships. Applicants to the program are encouraged to apply for these also. TAs generally assist a professor with classroom duties, but they may also be assigned as a tutor for undergrads or as a shop manager, or to a research project, according to the rules of the University. Generally speaking, TA's receive both a stipend and a tuition waiver. The stipend changes somewhat from year to year. Current tuition rates can be found here.
The Graduate School homepage contains a number of different links to helpful information. Many students are initially confused by the administrative processes, and may wish to explore some general information about how the Graduate School is organized. The current Bulletin for the Graduate School contains all the rules and regulations pertaining to graduate programs. Master’s students should take a very close look at the section titled "General requirements for all Master’s Degrees" which is on approximately page 45.
Each semester, certain dates are established that are the final deadline for filing for an examination and applying for a degree. Timing is extremely most important, for the most current University of Kentucky callendar of deadlines: click here.
All MA candidates, both Plan A and Plan B, must sit for a final examination; and must file a form for graduation before the appropriate deadline. There is little to no flexibility in that schedule, so MA candidates should examine them closely. All the forms are available below, and must be filed to apply for an exam or degree.
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