Subject to approval by the department chairperson and the dean of the Graduate School, in specified programs, a maximum of 15 semester hours of graduate work may be transferred from another institution. These hours must be in theatre or in a closely allied subject, and they must contribute to the student's educational objective. Should deficiencies in the student's undergraduate program be perceived, appropriate undergraduate courses will be required. While these undergraduate courses may not be counted toward the graduate degree, they may be taken in addition to the maximum allowable number of graduate hours.
All students must follow Plan II (non-thesis) and complete 60 semester hours of graduate coursework for the degree. Continuation in the MFA degree program is contingent upon recommendation by the theatre faculty, following an annual review of the student's academic and production work. Students may be placed on probation following the review; students placed on probation have one semester in which to reestablish good academic standing. Under no circumstances will a student be permitted to continue in the program on probation for more than one semester.
The Department of Theatre and Dance uses "contract advising, that requires each student in the department to develop a plan of study within six weeks of beginning the program, in conjunction with an assigned advisor from the student's area of specialization. The plan of study must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School and the Department of Theatre and Dance, and have the approval of the assigned advisor. While each plan is developed individually, examples of typical curricula are available on request from the department. A student with a.5 FTE departmental assistantship cannot take more than 12 hours and no less than 6 hours of graduate work during a semester or more than 6 hours in each term of the summer session.
January 2026
Tuscaloosa Campus
Tuscaloosa,
Tuscaloosa,
Alabama,
35487, South, United States
January 2025
Tuscaloosa Campus
Tuscaloosa,
Tuscaloosa,
Alabama,
35487, South, United States
International application must hold the equivalent of a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution to be eligible for graduate admission. English Language Requirements: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): The minimum score for admission to a degree program or for non-degree admission is 550 on the paper-based TOEFL or 79 on the internet-based TOEFL (iBT); International English Language Testing System (IELTS): The minimum score for admission to a degree program or for non-degree admission is 6.5; Pearson Test of English (PTE): The minimum score of admission to a degree program or for non-degree admission is 59.
Application Deadline: Varies by specialty. Stage Management deadline is February 1.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.