M.F.A. Directing

Nine graduate studio classes in directing, one of which is the creation of a thesis portfolio and resume; two courses in Foundations:  Script Analysis and Genres and Theatre; one course in Multiculturalism; two courses as professional internships often with South Coast Repertory and/or Utah Shakespeare Festival; two courses in acting, may include movement, voice classes approved by the faculty program head; two seminars in dramatic literature, performance theory, criticism, theatre history; six projects of which one is the thesis and one is an off-site production; two design or stage management classes, approved by the faculty program head; and a minimum of three electives.

A total of 116 quarter units in graduate or approved upper-division undergraduate courses.

To apply to the M.F.A. program in Directing, a completed application and application fee ($135 for U.S. Citizens and lawful U.S. Permanent Residents, and $155 for all other applicants) is required. The application fee must be submitted online (checks will not be accepted). All graduate applications are submitted electronically and must be supported by appropriate academic transcripts from each college/university attended, two letters of recommendation, and resume. Unofficial transcripts must be submitted online with the graduate application. Official transcripts must be provided only after a candidate has been accepted by the program and formally admitted to the university. All letters of recommendation must be submitted online. Directing resumes should be uploaded to the electronic application.

Submission of the Statement of Purpose is mandatory. Submission of the Personal History Statement is optional. The Department of Drama has no word/character minimum or maximum length requirements for these statements.

Please be sure to specify on the online application your "Specific Area of Interest" as Directing.

For Directing applicants, the GRE exam is not required. After we have received and processed your M.F.A. application, application fee, and directing resume, our directing faculty will contact you, if you meet their initial criteria, regarding the city and time of your audition/interview. If you move after you submit your application, it is important that you notify our office with your new address and phone number. The deadline for submission of letters of recommendations is February 1st. Only persons who have submitted applications, application fees, and directing resumes can be assigned an audition/interview time.

Please be sure to contact the Drama Office if you haven't heard back from us by mid January, if you are going to U/RTA auditions/interviews.

For those international applicants that are required to successfully complete an English langauge proficiency exam (TOEFL or IELTS) to be considered for admission, please know that:

The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

• Please select institution code 4859 to have your official score sent to UCI. No department code is needed.
• We only accept scores submitted electronically by ETS.
• Test results that are two years old or older are not acceptable.
• We do not accept MyBest scores; you must submit all individual test scores.
• Results of institutional (non-ETS) administrations of the TOEFL are not acceptable.
• We will accept the TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition test.  The same minimum score applies.
• We do NOT accept the TOEFL ITP Plus test for China or the TOEFL Essentials test.
• For more information, please visit their website at www.ets.org/toefl. 

TOEFL Score Requirements for Admission Consideration:
An overall minimum score of 80.

As an alternative to the TOEFL, you may submit scores from the Academic Modules of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

• We only accept scores submitted electronically by the IELTS test center. No paper Test Report Forms will be accepted.
• Test results that are two years old or older are not acceptable.
• We will accept the IELTS Indicator test.  The same minimum score applies.
• An institutional code is NOT required. Please contact the test center directly where you took the IELTS test and request that your test scores be sent electronically using the IELTS system. All IELTS test centers worldwide are able to send scores electronically to our institution. 
• For more information, please visit their website at www.ielts.org.

IELTS Score Requirements for Admission Consideration:
An overall minimum score of 7 for admission, with a score of no less than 6 on any individual module.

Find out more:

          :: Apply Electronically
          :: Graduate Division website
          :: Graduate Housing
          :: Financial Aid
          :: Information for International Applicants
          :: Application Fee Waivers

Every other year, beginning in 2013, UC Irvine admits two M.F.A. Directing candidates. As a highly competitive program, admission decisions are based on prior experience, many students have professional directing experience or already hold an advanced degree, letters of recommendation, and most importantly, the half-hour interview.

In preparing for the 30-minute directing interview, applicants may find the following guidance helpful.

Interview Preparation

Applicants should be prepared to discuss one of the following works:

• Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage
• Angels in America, Part One by Tony Kushner
• Much Ado About Nothing

The following materials may be submitted in support of the interview:

• Well-written critical reviews of productions you have directed
• One or two directorial or script analysis papers
• An updated résumé, particularly if it includes information not previously submitted
• Director’s notes from one of your production programs
• A portfolio of your productions, which may include photographs and reviews
• One prompt book from an actual production you have directed

Optional Materials

Applicants may also submit copies, which may be retained, of plays they have written or papers on directing, playwrights, or theatrical critical theory.

Applicants from Abroad

We welcome applications from international students with strong English proficiency. The interview requirement cannot be waived, and applicants must be able to travel to one of the interview locations. If attending a scheduled interview date is not possible, the department will attempt to arrange an alternative meeting in California when feasible.

Please note that the University of California offers limited financial support to international students. Admission requires a verified guarantee of sufficient funds to complete the three-year program. Applicants who are unable to provide this guarantee are encouraged to pursue external funding sources, including home government grants and private foundation support.