MFA Theatre (Performance) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Master of Fine Arts program in theatre with a concentration in performance focuses on cultivating you as an actor-creator and fostering you as a conceptual thinker and collaborator. This is accomplished by teaching you to develop and create original devised works and enabling you to develop your skills as an artist entrepreneur. You learn innovative performance applications in multimedia and transdisciplinary collaboration, which are informed by artistic integrity and social responsibility.

Faculty: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts | Department: School of Music, Dance and Theatre | Duration: 60 credit hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Tempe, AZ, United States

What you will study

60 credit hours including the required applied project course (THP 693) This is a three-year program culminating in an applied project. The first year is dedicated to intensive movement; acting and Fitzmaurice voice training; and ensemble-building and devising with a focus on Lecoq, rasaboxes, viewpoints and Meisner.

Career pathways

Professionals with a MFA in performance have successfully obtained tenure-track jobs in movement, voice, acting and devising as well as postgraduate fellowships, visiting faculty positions and adjunct faculty positions at prestigious colleges and universities across the country.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in a related field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program. All applicants must submit: graduate admission application and application fee official transcripts current resume statement of purpose academic writing sample three letters of recommendation proof of English proficiency Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency. The letters of recommendation should be from professionals familiar with the student's work.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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