Theatre (MFA) – Acting

We are not accepting applications for Fall 2025. Our next recruitment cycle begins in Fall 2025 for Fall 2026 admission.

The Theatre, Master of Fine Arts in Acting Track is a NAST-accredited pre-professional actor training program. Through intensive practical and theoretical classwork and production experience, students are prepared physically and vocally as artists to succeed in this demanding profession.

The program is a highly selective, rigorous, three-year professional training program emphasizing both theatre theory and practice. The first two years are spent on campus in classes and performing in Theatre UCF productions. The third year is spent as a resident company member at Orlando Shakes where students perform in mainstage and theatre for young audience productions, teach, study and assist with the operations of the theatre.

Students, in addition to becoming highly trained theatre practitioners, must also demonstrate the ability to understand the conceptual basis of their art and to be able to articulate that understanding to others. Toward this end, the department will recruit and develop graduate students who can serve, along with faculty and staff, as role models for undergraduate students whose BA and BFA programs of study are integrally connected with the graduate program.

The Acting track of the Theatre MFA program requires 47 credit hours of core and specialization courses that follow a suggested yearly schedule in addition to a thesis and an internship. The electives can be chosen (with instructor approval) from existing courses in other MFA tracks in Theatre. Because allowed electives are both two- and three-credit-hour courses, the course of study shows a sliding number of credits for electives. Consequently, although the 61 credit hours are required, a student may graduate with as many as 65 credit hours.

Total Credit Hours Required: 61 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree

Track Prerequisites

General Entrance and Area Specific Prerequisites -Students applying for entrance into the MFA Programs must have successfully completed the following undergraduate courses or their equivalent:

• Acting -Script Analysis or Play Analysis, Theatre History or Dramatic Literature, Stage Voice, Stage Movement, Advanced Acting.

Degree Requirements

Core

• Complete the following:
  • THE5910 - Research Methods in Theatre (3)
  • TPP5087C - Theatre Careers in Performance (3)

Specialization

• Earn at least 41 credits from the following types of courses: In the "Track Details" Section below, a suggested course schedule is provided. Students will work directly with their advisor in creating a plan of study for this requirement.

Thesis

• Earn at least 6 credits from the following:
  • THE6971 - Thesis (1 - 99)

Internship

• Earn at least 8 credits from the following:
  • THE6948 - Professional Internship (4)

Independent Learning

• The Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of a master's thesis.

Grand Total Credits: 61

Application Requirements

Financial Information

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Fellowship Information

Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.

Students must maintain a minimum "B" (3.0) overall Theatre grade point average to continue in the major. Theatre courses with grades of less than "C" will not be counted toward degree requirements. All Acting program students are required to audition for all fall and spring productions and must accept the roles assigned. A student's continuation in the program is contingent upon positive end-of-semester evaluations. Students must successfully complete internship and thesis requirements. The thesis proposal must be approved in advance.

Of the 61 hours required for the Acting track, the following courses constitute the MFA Graduate Core Curriculum. See the Course Schedule below for an understanding of how the curricular elements are articulated.

Course Schedule
Year 1
Fall: 10 Credit Hours

• TPP 5156C - Acting Studio I 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 5515 - Movement Studio I 2 Credit Hours
• TPP 5715C - Stage Voice I 2 Credit Hours
• THE 5910 - Research Methods in Theatre 3 Credit Hours

Spring: 10 Credit Hours

• TPP 5157C - Acting Studio II 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 5516C - Movement Studio II 2 Credit Hours
• TPP 5716C - Stage Voice II 2 Credit Hours
• THE 5307 - Contemporary Theatre Practice 3 Credit Hours

Year 2
Fall: 11 Credit Hours

• TPP 6146C - Acting Studio III 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 6517 - Movement Studio III 2 Credit Hours
• TPP 6717C - Stage Voice III 2 Credit Hours
• THE 6507 - Dramatic Theory and Criticism 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 5278C - Musical Theatre Lab 1 Credit Hours

Spring: 11 Credit Hours

• TPP 6518C - Movement Studio IV 2 Credit Hours
• TPP 6718C - Stage Voice IV 2 Credit Hours
• TPP 6267 - Acting Studio IV 2 Credit Hours
• THE 5205 - American Theatre 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 6933 - Acting Studio V 2 Credit Hours

Year 3
Fall: 10 Credit Hours

• THE 6948 - Professional Internship 4 Credit Hours
• THE 6971 - Thesis 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 5087C – Theatre Careers in Performance 3 Credit Hours

Spring: 9 Credit Hours

• THE 6948 - Professional Internship 4 Credit Hours
• THE 6971 - Thesis 3 Credit Hours
• TPP 6186C - Advanced Scene Study 2 Credit Hours