Theatre Arts, Acting Option, M.F.A.

The Master of Fine Arts Degree in Theatre Arts is the terminal degree offering the professional training deemed necessary by the major Theatre Arts Schools in the United States.

All students admitted to the MFA program are members of California Repertory Company and are subject to the operating procedures of the company. CalRep, the professional arm of the Theatre Arts Department, prepares and performs plays from the canon of international dramatic literature.

MFA Transfer and Residence Policy

Transfer credit allowable toward the MFA may not exceed 20 units. The Graduate Advisor must approve all transferred credit use in the MFA Program.

Criteria for Admission to the Program

1. Students applying for the MFA program must have completed a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Theatre Arts from an accredited institution with a 3.0 GPA in upper‑division theatre courses, meet University admission requirements, and submit evidence of creative ability and professional intent in one of the following areas: Acting, Technical Theatre/Design, Theatre Management;
2. When an undergraduate degree has been completed in a program having different requirements than those at CSULB or in some field other than Theatre Arts, additional preparation and time may be required before the student can be considered for classified status in the degree program. Units of credit from coursework in a graduate program may be acceptable after review by the faculty evaluation committee, and approval by the Dean;
3. Admission to the program in Acting requires audition, professional resume, and interview. Admission to the program in Technical Theatre/Design requires interview and/or submission of original work such as manuscripts, designs, renderings, slides, digital images, models and/or working drawings;
4. All students admitted into the MFA program will be admitted as conditionally classified. In order to obtain fully classified status, a committee from the Theatre Arts faculty must authorize continuation in the program after evaluating academic progress, individual skills development, and review of performance or portfolio at the end of the student’s first full year of residence.

Advancement to Candidacy

1. Attain fully classified status;
2. Remove all undergraduate deficiencies determined by the departmental evaluation and the Dean of the College;
3. Submit a program for approval by the department chair, the graduate advisor and the Dean of the College.