New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, located in downtown New York City, offers MFA degrees in acting and musical theater writing. The three-year acting program accepts 16 students a year. It involves intensive training from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., five days a week, and is divided into three areas: acting, movement and speech. The musical theater writing program lasts for two years, culminating in the creation of a full-length work, and accepts 22 students a year.
The Yale School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut, awards MFA degrees in acting, design, sound design, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, directing, playwriting, stage management, technical design and production, and theater management. All of these degree programs last for three years and involve intensive training as well as opportunities to participate in professional productions. The acting program requires an audition, while other fields require the submission of a portfolio.
The Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers, a major research university in New Jersey, awards MFA degrees in theater arts with concentrations in acting, directing, playwriting, design or stage management. Students are required to complete three years of full-time residency and pass a comprehensive faculty review at the end of each term. Admission to the acting program requires an audition, while other areas require portfolio submissions.
The University of California at San Diego offers three-year MFA programs in six areas: acting, design, directing, playwriting, stage management and dance theater. In partnership with La Jolla Playhouse, UC San Diego guarantees at least one professional residency for all students, except those concentrating in playwriting. Auditions, which are typically held in January or February for admission the following fall, occur in various locations throughout the United States.
The University of Washington School of Drama, located in Seattle, awards MFA degrees in acting, directing and design. All degrees require three years of residency. The conservatory acting program prepares students for work in film, theater, television and digital media. Training involves participation in group productions as well as the performance of two self-written solo pieces. All acting students graduate with a professional reel. Auditions for fall admission take place during January and February in Seattle, New York, Chicago and San Francisco.