Applied Drama & Theatre for the Young [MFA]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

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Applied Drama and Theatre for the Young (ADTY) allows students to expand and sharpen their craft as artists and educators. The ADTY program, one of only six in the US, focuses on the symbiotic relationship between theatre artistry, pedagogy, and research. Students in the program apply practice from many fields, such as theatre for young audiences, creative drama, performance studies, applied theatre, arts integration, youth theatre, and community engagement. As a program faculty, we believe drama and theatre can engage the imagination, challenge and inspire ideas, and support learning for youth and communities.

The Applied Drama and Theatre for the Young graduate program was founded at Eastern Michigan University in the early 1960s by Virginia Glasgow Koste. The program has a legacy of strong graduates who provide leadership and service, working in communities worldwide as non-profit teaching artists, education directors, managers, professors, K-12 Educators, artistic directors, playwrights, and directors.

Learn

The program prepares graduates for multiple career paths in education, professional theatre for young audiences, and community or non-profit organizations. Students take core courses, providing the foundation in Drama, Theatre for Young Audiences, and Applied Theatre/Drama. Students can choose elective courses that align with their unique interests and customize a course of study that supports their individual goals. Possible electives include courses in theatre, education, special education, interpretation & performance studies, psychology, children’s literature, and more. MFA students can pursue EMU’s Arts Entrepreneurship [Graduate Certificate] concurrently. The program can be completed in three years (full-time) or up to 6 years (part-time) and is considered a terminal degree.

Opportunities

Annual TYA productions, touring shows, and community engagement programs allow students to hone their craft and experiment with art. Students can work with the Interpretative Performance Studies program on Boal techniques and theatre/drama in prisons and participate in ENGAGE@EMU to provide service in the community while gaining opportunities to work with diverse populations.

Students may also be interested in the Theatre Arts - Applied Drama & Theatre for the Young [M.A.] .

Program Admission

Admit Terms and Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; students may start the program in the Fall or Winter. See Application Deadlines.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

For full admission, applicants must have 1) Earned a four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution, 2) a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program. Conditional admission may be available to applicants not meeting minimum admission requirements.

Program Requirements

Applicants must also meet the following program requirements. Requirements may be more stringent than the minimum graduate school requirements.

Have a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher. Exceptions to this requirement can be made if at least 15 hours of graduate work have already been earned with a GPA of 3.0 or higher
Two letters of recommendation
A Letter of Intent that answers the following question “What prior academic, personal and professional experiences have led to your interest in pursuing an MFA in Applied Drama and Theatre for the Young?”
Interview with at least one program faculty member
Possess an appropriate foundation in undergraduate studies with relevant extra-academic experiences taken into account for the specific graduate focus chosen
Send samples of previous work (optional)

Application

Your application will be submitted using GradCAS, a Centralized Application Service (CAS) hosted by Liaison. After reviewing the admission requirements, please review the application instructions and select the appropriate application.

- Go to 2023-2024 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2024, Fall 2024, or Winter 2025.

- Go to 2024-2025 GradCAS to apply to a program beginning in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, or Winter 2026.

Domestic Applicants Within the application, follow the instructions to submit an official transcript from all previously attended institutions.

International Applicants Before applying, applicants must review the international application/process deadlines at emich.edu/international as they may differ from general program requirements.

For additional information regarding the application process, please see Graduate Admissions or International Admissions.

School Information

Communication, Media & Theatre Arts 124 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.6846

Lee Stille, PhD., Director

Advisor Information

Meriah Sage, Assistant Professor, 121 Judy Sturgis Hill, 734.487.0535

Degree Requirements: 60 hours

Students must:

Early in their graduate work, prepare an official program of study in consultation with an assigned graduate advisor;
Meet all conditions stipulated upon entry into the program;
Satisfactorily complete a mid-program review after two or three semesters in the program; and
Complete a minimum of 60 hours of approved course work beyond the bachelor’s degree with an overall GPA of at least 3.0, or a minimum of 30 hours beyond an appropriate master’s degree.

Required Courses: 45 hours

Core Courses: 31 hours
CTAR 501 Foundations of Dramatic Experience 3 hrs
CTAR 515 Drama/Theatre Facilitation for Artists and Educators 3 hrs
CTAR 522 Applied Theatre 3 hrs
CTAR 529 Producing Theatre for Young Audiences 3 hrs
CTAR 534 Storytelling 3 hrs
CTAR 535 Youth Theatre Theory and Practice 3 hrs
CTAR 565 Studies in Educational Drama and Theatre 3 hrs
CTAR 606 Colloquium in Communication and Theatre Arts 1 hr
CTAR 537 Dramatic Literature in Theatre for Young Audiences 3 hrs
CTAR 533 Improvisation 3 hrs
CTAR 658 Theatre for Young Audiences 3 hrs
Research and Project Courses: 10 hours
CTAR 540 Performance Inquiry 3 hrs See note
CTAR 541 Research Techniques 3 hrs See note
CTAR 690 Degree Requirement 1 hr
CTAR 692 Degree Requirement 3 hrs
Note: CTAR 540 needs to be taken before CTAR 541
Practicum/Internship: 4 hours
CTAR 671 Internship and Practicum 1 hr
CTAR 673 Internship and Practicum 3 hrs

Restricted Elective Courses: 15 hours

Choose fifteen credit hours from within the School of Communication, Media, and Theatre Arts (COMM, CTAA, CTAO, CTAR, CTAT, EDT) at the 500-level or above. With advisor approval, a student may use courses outside the School of Communication, Media and Theatre Arts to satisfy this requirement.

Some suggested electives include:
CTAO 540 Personal Narrative/Oral History in Performance 3 hrs
CTAO 541 Performance, Text and Context 3 hrs
CTAO 542 Adapting/Directing Narrative Theatre 3 hrs
CTAO 683 Workshop 2 hrs
CTAR 523 Puppetry: Catalyst in Human Development 3 hrs
CTAR 592 Special Topics 3 hrs
CTAR 684 Workshop in Communication and Theatre Arts 3 hrs

Critical Graduation Information

Each graduate student is responsible for fulfilling the requirements or equivalents of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

Master’s degree requirements must be completed within six (6) years of first enrollment in the master’s degree program.

In the event a student does not complete the master’s degree requirements within six years of the date of their original registration, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their degree in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

The following are minimum requirements for all master’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University. Some programs require more than the minimum in one or more areas below.

A master’s degree must require a minimum of 30 credit hours.
No more than six credits of independent study courses and no more than 12 credit hours of special topics and independent study courses combined may be applied to a graduate degree.
Residency Requirement:
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 36 or fewer required hours, at least 24 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- For students admitted to master’s degree programs of 37 or more required hours, at least 30 new graduate hours beginning the semester of acceptance and enrollment into the degree program must be earned at EMU. Minimum degree hours must still be met for graduation. The remaining program requirement hours may be met through transfer or prior degree credit (EMU or elsewhere).
- Residency and enrollment in multiple programs: Students enrolled in multiple master’s/specialist degree programs must have 24 unique credit hours in each degree program.
Only credits from one completed graduate certificate may be applied to a master’s or specialist degree in a relevant field of study, as determined by the Graduate School and with the approval of the degree-granting academic department, and be included in the residency hours above.
Students must maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA in all graduate-level courses taken at EMU and in their program of study to remain in good academic standing and be eligible for graduation. Students do not need to be registered for classes during the semester of graduation.
The Graduate School does not permit the use of undergraduate courses (499 and below) to meet degree requirements on graduate programs of study.
Some master’s programs require a thesis; others require a special project or internship; others require students to pass a final exam. See the Graduate School website for Thesis and Dissertation Manuals, all forms, and information about research and human subject approval. Every completed thesis or dissertation must be submitted to Digital Commons. Any form of graduate student work submitted to Digital Commons must first be approved by a faculty advisor and the Graduate School.