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Fall 2014 applicants for theater/performance Ph. D.?


PageAndStage

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Hello all.

 

I'm planning to apply for Ph. D. programs this year. 
I thought it would be nice to start a new thread so that we can share information and help out each other.

 

Are there any other fellow applicants? :) 

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  • 1 month later...
  • 3 weeks later...

eleanor, sorry I haven't responded in so long!

 

I haven't narrowed down the list yet...

I will definitely apply for Columbia and Cornell. For the rest, I'm not sure yet.

 

I'm still looking for programs that will allow me to concentrate on theater history for I am interested in renaissance drama and its contemporary adaptations. Does anyone have advice? 

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey all, it looks like this thread is a little stale, but I'm just trying to find others applying for PhDs. Right now I am applying to NYU and Colombia and maaaaaybe CUNY. How are everyone's applications going? Has anyone else taken the GREs?

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Hey all, it looks like this thread is a little stale, but I'm just trying to find others applying for PhDs. Right now I am applying to NYU and Colombia and maaaaaybe CUNY. How are everyone's applications going? Has anyone else taken the GREs?

 

Hi, roguesenna.

I don't have an M.A. so I'm applying for some M.A. programs and Ph. D. programs. 

I did take GRE. Though I must confess that I'm not really satisfied with my score...

My dream school's application deadline is in January so I'm thinking of taking it once more in December. 

 

If I may ask you this question, do you have an M.A.? I'm searching for programs but it seems like there are only handful of programs for M.A. in theater studies! So I was curious if you could give me tips. :) 

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I have an MFA, but both NYU and Columbia have you go through an MA program first, I think. I'm not sure if NYU's MA is funded or not though. Columbia's program is fully funded. I guess I plan to worry more about the details if/when I get in. You should take a look at Columbia's program, at least. Especially since you're also interested in lit, Columbia's theatre PhD starts with an M.A. in comparitive lit.

Edited by roguesenna
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I have an MFA, but both NYU and Columbia have you go through an MA program first, I think. I'm not sure if NYU's MA is funded or not though. Columbia's program is fully funded. I guess I plan to worry more about the details if/when I get in. You should take a look at Columbia's program, at least. Especially since you're also interested in lit, Columbia's theatre PhD starts with an M.A. in comparitive lit.

 

Thanks so much for your advice! I'm actually an international student. I could always get info on the internet but sometimes I just don't know where to start digging.

 

My undergraduate institution is not really prestigious; it is in my country (I'm an international applicant) but globally, much less known. So I guess it would be better for me to start with an MA or MFA. :)

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Hi all, I just stumbled upon your thread, and thought I might be able to answer a few of your questions.

 

 

 

I'm still looking for programs that will allow me to concentrate on theater history for I am interested in renaissance drama and its contemporary adaptations. Does anyone have advice? 

 

Have you looked at the University of Minnesota? They have an MA/PhD program in theatre historiography and an amazing faculty. Though I'm not sure about Renaissance studies specifically.

 

roguesenna, are you applying for the MA or the PhD at NYU? I'm pretty sure you need an MA to apply to the PhD program -- I don't think they will accept an MFA. Also, they tend to only accept their own MA students to the PhD. I think it's theoretically possible to get accepted without going through their MA program, but highly unlikely. I know that they do offer some funding for the MA, but I'm not sure how good it is.

 

 

Thanks so much for your advice! I'm actually an international student. I could always get info on the internet but sometimes I just don't know where to start digging.

 

My undergraduate institution is not really prestigious; it is in my country (I'm an international applicant) but globally, much less known. So I guess it would be better for me to start with an MA or MFA. :)

If your goal is to get a PhD, I would apply to MA programs (as opposed to MFAs).

 

Best of luck with the process!

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Aubergine I'm applying to the PhD program. I actually did read that when I researched NYU and I communicated with someone in their department who told me to go ahead and apply. The application allows you to check a box saying that you would be interested in consideration for the M.A. and I decided to ultimately apply for the PhD and check that box for two reasons. 1. I wanted to discuss my potential research interests in my SOP because I felt it would help my chances (I'm a pretty strong writer), and 2. I can't really afford to go back to school without funding, unless I'm fairly certain I'm getting a career out of it, and not just another degree. So if I get accepted to the M.A. and not the PhD I'll have some thinking to do, obviously, but I know what I'm doing. 

 

Also, PageandStage, I agree with Aubergine RE: MA versus MFA. I have the MFA because that's what I thought I wanted after college. Also because you're technically able to teach dramatic writing in college with an MFA, but many positions want a PhD. It seems like all the PhD programs want MAs, the only doctoral programs that favor MFAs (at least that I've seen) are DFA programs like the one at Yale. 

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The MFA tends not to officially count as a qualification when applying for PhDs, but I think that having one when you apply is an asset in our field that shows that you can work on both sides of the (albeit spurious) divide between 'theory' and 'practice', which is often demanded on the job market. Two out of four of my PhD cohort came in with MFAs.

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Hi all, I just stumbled upon your thread, and thought I might be able to answer a few of your questions.

 

 

 

Have you looked at the University of Minnesota? They have an MA/PhD program in theatre historiography and an amazing faculty. Though I'm not sure about Renaissance studies specifically.

 

roguesenna, are you applying for the MA or the PhD at NYU? I'm pretty sure you need an MA to apply to the PhD program -- I don't think they will accept an MFA. Also, they tend to only accept their own MA students to the PhD. I think it's theoretically possible to get accepted without going through their MA program, but highly unlikely. I know that they do offer some funding for the MA, but I'm not sure how good it is.

 

 

If your goal is to get a PhD, I would apply to MA programs (as opposed to MFAs).

 

Best of luck with the process!

 

Thanks so much, Aubergine! It never came to me to look up Minnesota.

I'm so glad its application due date is Jan. 5!

I am add one more fantastic program to apply for, thanks to you!  :)

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  • 4 weeks later...

I'm joining in with this thread although I am waiting for the Fall 2015 cycle to apply.

 

On my list of Ph.D programs that I'm planning to apply to: Columbia and Tufts so far, and there were two other programs that I was also considering.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Just recently joined the site, as well, and wanted to jump in (applying for MA/PhD track programs for the 2014 cycle). Applied to UCSB, Berkeley, Brown, Northwestern and Pittsburgh. Have a Skype interview (I'm an international, though my BA is from the US) with UCSB this week.

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Good luck on your interview! Is it a phone or Skype interview?

 

Thanks! It's a Skype interview, which should be interesting--from what I can tell, there'll be more than one person on their end. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Edited by performancestu
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has anyone heard from northwestern's performance studies program yet?

 

I applied, but haven't heard back, yet. Think, from past results, that they post a little later, maybe even in March. Did you apply to the Interdisciplinary PhD program?

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I've heard from Minnesota and UT-Austin so far via e-mail, inviting me for a phone interview. Also I know one person who is onto his second interview with Brown, so I think that ship has sailed for me.

 

Any news on California schools other than Berkeley? 

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