Directing MFA

Students admitted to the program are expected to have mastered skills and have a general knowledge of the materials and processes relevant to their field of study. Students may be required to complete additional courses upon recommendation of the advisor.

The Master of Fine Arts degree is awarded on the basis of successful completion of the required courses and critical evaluation of student work. The Department expects consistent progress as well as attainment of professional skills. These and other factors will also influence the Department’s allocation of production resources including the number, scale, and scheduling of projects and productions.

Requirements for the MFA degree in Theater can be found in the Program Requirements on file at the UCLA Division of Graduate Education

Students will be required to enroll in a minimum of twelve units per quarter. Required courses will be scheduled to permit completion of the program within a three year period. In addition to the successful completion of a minimum of courses and units, candidates for the degree must pass a capstone project that is a critical evaluation of directing projects demonstrating professional competence in the field.

Minimum Coursework Requirements: 28 courses (106 units) are required for the degree. Of these, 94 units must be graduate-level (200- and 400-series) courses. A maximum of 12 units of upper division courses (numbered 100-199) and a maximum of 12 units of 596 courses may be applied toward the total number of units for the degree. By petition, course requirements may be fulfilled with approved alternative courses. The program culminates in the capstone, which is a series of creative projects that comprises the Directing thesis. On completion of the directing thesis or in the last quarter of residence, whichever is last, students must file for advancement to candidacy. A committee comprised of the Directing faculty then reviews and evaluates students’ records. If students fail the review and evaluation of their creative work by the examining committee, they may, with the approval of the department chair, be reexamined.

Normal progress toward the degree is for students to be enrolled in their specialized areas for a continuous period until all required courses are completed, typically seven to nine quarters. Normative Time to Advancement To Candidacy is nine quarters. Normative Time-To-Degree is nine quarters. Maximum Time-To-Degrees is 12 quarters.