The Interpretation/Performance Studies program is grounded in the creative and scholarly examination of the performing act. We believe that performance, whether based on broad culture, aesthetics, or everyday life, is the creative and expressive basis for understanding human action and interaction. Our mission is to provide courses and co-curricular activities that will engage students in a comprehensive, meaningful, and rich process of applied creative/scholarly explorations of performers, performance, texts, and contexts. This concentration is for individuals approaching the I/PS discipline from a theatre-based perspective using a broad notion of performance that includes traditional aesthetic and more nontraditional texts.
Degree Requirements: 30 hours
All Master of Arts in Theatre Arts programs require the completion of 30 hours of coursework to be distributed among required courses and elective courses as follows:
Required Core Courses: 7-9 hours
CTAR 601 - Performance Inquiry 3 hrs
CTAR 677 - Research Techniques 3 hrs
Select one course from the following:
CTAR 690 - Degree Requirement 1 hr
CTAR 691 - Degree Requirement 2 hrs
CTAR 692 - Degree Requirement 3 hrs
Core Concentration Requirements: 12 hours
CTAO 540 - Personal Narrative/Oral History in Performance 3 hrs
CTAO 542 - Adapting/Directing Narrative Theatre 3 hrs
CTAO 695 - Seminar in Interpretation 3 hrs
One course from the following:
CTAO 500 - Performing Prose & Poetry 3 hrs
CTAO 514 - Studies in Performing Drama 3 hrs
Elective Courses: 9-11 hours
Additional courses selected in consultation with an academic advisor based upon the student鈥檚 individual needs.
September 2025
College of Arts and Sciences
214 Pray Harrold,
YPSILANTI,
Michigan,
48197, United States
A four-year baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or an equivalent degree from a non-U.S. institution. In addition, a minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 2.7 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.0 in the last half of the undergraduate program, is required for full admission. Applicants who do not meet minimum admission requirements may be considered for conditional admission.
Applicants must also meet the following program requirements:
Have a major or minor or the equivalent in communication, theatre arts, or drama/theatre for the young
TOEFL: 79 iBT
IELTS: 6.5
Pearson English Language Test (PTE): 53
Michigan English Test (MET): 57
Application Deadline:
Fall: July 1; Winter: November 1
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
