Application Information for the PhD Program in Theatre and Drama

We thank you for your interest in the PhD Program in Theatre and Drama!

Applications for the Fall 2024 admission cycle will open on September 6, 2023 and close on January 3, 2024. Please see below for detailed application instructions. 

The following materials must be uploaded to the UC San Diego application portal.

• One writing sample (15-20 pages), which deals with an aspect related to theatre and performance studies
• Official transcripts or official copies of academic records from all post-secondary institutions attended.
• 3 Letters of recommendation.
• Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages maximum). Please use the following as a guideline:
  • This is a critical part of your application. The most successful statements, first and foremost, provide the larger research question you would like to pursue in this PhD program.
  • Successful statements will often expand upon the larger research question and its intricacies as they relate to the field of theatre and performance studies -- be it through questions of archives, objects, methodologies, or theoretical debates.
  • Further, statements of purpose should then provide a sense of your training and background that have led to and that will inform how you will engage the larger research question. Lastly, you want to provide a sense as to why this program will support your research; be specific about the program and the fit between this program and your research. 
    
    

After a review of all application materials, a personal or telephone interview may be arranged.

*Please note that the GRE is NOT required for the Fall 2023 admissions cycle*

If you have questions about our graduate programs or the application process, please contact the Graduate Coordinator at (858) 534-1046 or tdgradcoord@ucsd.edu.