Graduate Admissions and FAQs

Application Requirements

• Resume/CV
• Transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• A personal statement no more than 1,000 words that addresses questions such as:
  • What questions motivate your research project? 
  • Why this particular program?
  • How is performance central to your research questions?
• A writing sample that reflects a scholarly discussion of a topic in or related to theater and performance, broadly understood. The writing sample does not need to address the proposed research project. 

PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies

For admission to graduate work for the PhD degree in Theatre and Performance Studies, a prospective candidate must present a completed graduate and/or undergraduate record of high scholastic proficiency with a firm grounding in drama and theatre, film, dance, and performance/ performance studies. Students who do not enter the PhD with a MAster’s degree will earn a “transitional masters” as part of their PhD progress. Other desirable foundation subjects include: fine arts, music, philosophy, history, literature, languages, and social sciences. In general, the student is expected to offer for admission the equivalent of a Tufts MA in Theatre and Performance Studies.

Financial Aid

Departmental Fellowship and Assistantship Packages

The PhD program in Theatre and Performance Studies funds all students in good academic standing for five years. All students receive a full tuition waiver and five years of student health insurance. In a student's first year in the program they will receive a University Fellowship. Years 2-5 are funded through teaching assistantships, supported and determined by the graduate student union. 19. Funding beyond the fifth year is competitively awarded via the Center for Humanities at Tufts Fellowship and the Robyn Gittleman Teaching Fellowship offered via the Tufts Experimental College. Students are encouraged to apply for external dissertation fellowships to support research beyond the fifth year. 

Conference and Research Funding

Department Funding

• The Sherwood Collins Graduate Endowment Fund:
  A Department fund established to assist graduate students in expenses for conferences, language study, and/or research. Currently students may request up to $1000 per year in assistance from the Collins Fund. Students traveling to make presentations at conferences or to complete research are reminded to retain all receipts to submit for reimbursement. There is no carry-over from year to year, so students are reminded to use their allotted funds within the fiscal year. Please contact the Department Administrator for funding request forms.
• The Laurence Senelick Graduate Fund:
  This fund exists to assist students who need funding for non-English language instruction. Rules for applying are the same as those for the Collins Fund. Please contact the Department Administrator for funding request forms.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Funding

The graduate school of arts and sciences offers several funding opportunities to support summer research, as well as research beyond the fifth year. You can locate these funding opportunities on the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences website.