Theatre Design (MFAT)
Graduate Degree Program
College: Arts and Humanities
Abstract
The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies offers a three-year Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Design, with concentrations in costume, scenic, lighting and multimedia. The degree offers superior students advanced training in design with on-campus and off-campus opportunities for creative activity. The program prepares the student to enter the professional theatre or to teach in the creative areas at colleges or universities. The School also offers MA and PhD degrees in theatre history and performance studies, and MFA degree in Dance, For more information visit the School website at http://tdps.umd.edu.
Financial Assistance
The School nominates outstanding applicants for competitive University fellowships. Teaching assistantships are available to a limited number of students. The Graduate program head will discuss these with accepted students at the time of acceptance.
Contact
Crystal Gaston
Coordinator of Graduate Services
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
2808 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
8115 Alumni Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.6675
Email: cgaston@umd.edu
Misha Kachman
Associate Professor
Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies
2739 Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
8115 Alumni Drive
University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Telephone: 301.405.6639
Email: mkachman@umd.edu
Website: http://tdps.umd.edu/programs/mfa-design
Courses: THET
General Requirements
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcript(s)
- TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)
Program-Specific Requirements
- Letters of Recommendation (3)
- CV/Resume
- Portfolio PDF Upload: A sample of work submitted through a professional website, or via a file uploaded.
- Applicants interested in multimedia design: Should select lighting design as their area of interest on the online application.
Application Deadlines
| Type of Applicant | Fall Deadline |
|---|---|
| Domestic Applicants | |
| US Citizens and Permanent Residents | May 14, 2025 |
| International Applicants | |
| F (student) or J (exchange visitor) visas; A,E,G,H,I and L visas and immigrants. | February 14, 2025 |
RESOURCES AND LINKS:
Program Website: http://tdps.umd.edu/programs/mfa-design
Application Process: gradschool.umd.edu/admissions
The School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies is housed in the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at Maryland. This state-of-the-art facility includes the 650-seat Ina and Jack Kay Theatre, the 200-seat Robert and Arlene Kogod Theatre and the 100-seat Cafritz Theatre.
The campus is within a few miles of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Arena Stage, the National Theatre, Ford’s Theatre, The Shakespeare Theatre at the Lansburgh, and the Olney Theatre Center, which are among more than 80 professional area theatres. Two of the greatest libraries in the world, the Library of Congress and the Folger Shakespeare Library, are in close proximity to campus. Students also make regular use of the Smithsonian Institution, the Federal Theatre Project Archives, the National Archives, and more than 50 specialized libraries and institutions in the Washington metropolitan area.