MA Admission & Application Information

Before you apply, it is recommended that you contact the Associate Director, Graduate or the Graduate Administrator in order to make an informed decision and learn about the program. 

(effective September 2025)

Students can choose among three streams through our MA program. All applicants must select one stream they intend to pursue. However, students in any stream can elect to switch into the Coursework-only stream during their year of study or the MRP stream before the start of second term, allowing them to take the Research and Praxis course available to MRP students only. Please note that the Thesis stream requires the submission and acceptance of a research proposal at the time of admission.

1. Coursework-only Stream

This stream allows maximum flexibility and breadth in a student’s coursework. After the three courses required of all MA students, students must take five electives at and outside of the Centre. This option does not require any capstone project outside of coursework.

2. Major Research Project (MRP) Stream

This stream allows students to orient their study to the creation of an original artistic work that complements their academic and creative interests. In addition to the three required courses and four electives, MRP students will enrol in DRA 1005 Research & Praxis in the winter term. This course will support the development of a research-creation or arts-based-research project of the student’s own devising. Students will learn the history and scholarship of arts-based methods, and will produce their own piece of analytic writing about the methodologies employed in their hybrid project.

3. Thesis Stream

This stream allows students to write a conventional academic thesis of 12K-15K words. In addition to the three required courses, Thesis students will take three further electives and will enrol in DRA 1004 MA Thesis. This 1.0 FCE represents the significant independent research effort expected of a student developing a thesis. The thesis will be written under the supervision of a member of the CDTPS graduate faculty. The thesis supervisor will be identified by the Centre at the time of admission to the program.

Students who wish to apply to the Thesis Stream must submit a research proposal of 1000 words outlining the proposed research project, the scholarship their project will be in conversation with, their imagined methodology, and why CDTPS would be a good place to undertake their research, along with all other application materials. The Admissions Committee may elect to offer admission to a student who applied, but is not accepted, to the Thesis Stream. In this event, the admitted student can pursue either the Coursework-only Stream or the MRP Stream.

Application opens

October 14, 2024

Application deadlines

Admission decisions are made during January to May, on an on-going basis; we encourage you to apply early. Applications will be open until April 11, 2025. 

Please note: The admissions committee begins reading applications as they are submitted. Please consider this in the timing of your own submission. We urge early submissions if possible. 

Applicants are considered under the School of Graduate Studies' General Regulations. Admissions are selective; possession of minimum qualifications does not guarantee acceptance.

Applicants must also satisfy the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies' additional admission requirements stated below:

  • An appropriate bachelor's degree from a recognized university with standing equivalent to at least a University of Toronto B+ and with a significant concentration in theatre, drama, performance, and related disciplines.

Please visit the School of Graduate Studies' English-Language Proficiency Testing page. 

Deadline to apply: April 11, 2025 for regular graduate funding package.

Please visit the School of Graduate Studies' International & Exchange Students page. 

Application Form & Fee

Supporting Documents

Include the following on your School of Graduate Studies Online Admissions Application: 

  • A Curriculum Vitae (CV) outlining all activities pertinent to study at the Centre, in research, publication, teaching, and performing arts practice. 
  • Copies of all undergraduate transcripts are acceptable for the application. Official transcripts are only required after an offer of admissions is received.
  • Two letters of recommendation providing substantive information on the applicant's abilities, achievements, and potential for graduate studies. We recommend that at least one letter is composed by an instructor familiar with your academic work and skills.
  • A Cover Letter: In 800–1,000 words, describe your scholarly interests, the reasons for your particular interest in the field of theatre and performance studies, your previous scholarly experience and artistic practice that have prepared you for a graduate program, and why the CDTPS at the University of Toronto is a good match for your academic and/or professional pursuits.
  • Letter of Intent (250 words) or Thesis Proposal (1000 words) (effective September 2025):
    • Applicants to the MA Program must declare which of our three streams they intend to pursue. In a brief letter of intent (250 words), applicants to the Coursework and MRP streams can explain why that stream best suits their previous background and their reasons for entering graduate study. Students hoping to write a thesis will instead submit a 1000-word thesis proposal outlining the prospective project. This thesis proposal should outline the research project, its methodology, the scholarship the project will be in conversation with, and why CDTPS would be an appropriate site for this research.  
  • Note: Only two recommendation letters are allowed. Applicants are strongly urged to consult Understanding Your Funding and Financial Aid & Advising before applying.

Learn more about graduate studies at the University of Toronto on the School of Graduate Studies website.

Log into your Online Admissions Application to check your application status. Your application will be marked “Under Review” when it has gone to the Admission Committee for consideration.

Notification Of Admission Decisions

Decisions are made as soon as possible, rather than by a specific date. By the end of the current admissions cycle (typically in May) the outcomes of all applications should be communicated. Possession of the minimum requirements of the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies and the School of Graduate Studies does not guarantee admission. Candidates must be competitive among fellow applicants.

As a Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies master’s degree student, you have the option of applying to a collaborative MA program in one of the following areas of study:

Please contact the Associate Director, Graduate or the Graduate Administrator if you intend to apply to a collaborative program.