Performance Studies, M.A.

Program Overview

In performance studies, you critically examine performances, like the way that you examine texts in English or dramatic literature in theatre studies. In performance studies, however, performance includes the traditional performing arts like theatre, music and dance, as well as video games, television and film, communication, cultural events, advertising, rituals, political debates, athletic events, fashion, cuisine, social media and more.

The Master of Arts in Performance Studies is a two-year, in-person degree offered at the College Station campus. This degree is built around an understanding of performance as a multifaceted and multicultural phenomenon. Bridging theory and practice, the program invites rigorous and sustained interdisciplinary understanding of performance in all its forms.

Students in our program conduct their research through a variety of methods including fieldwork; interviews; archival work; performance as research; and textual analysis. Students also present their research through a variety of mediums such as research presentations, scholarly publications, podcasts, performances, concerts, exhibitions and installations.

Our program keeps graduate classes small to give students opportunities to engage deeply with the course materials and work closely with faculty. The degree is ideal for students interested in careers in theatre, arts administration, production, communications, archival and curatorial work, cultural institutions such as museums, as well as those interested in continuing to doctoral study.

Admission Requirements

Faculty Expertise

Our faculty have conducted research in the U.S., Ghana, Brazil, Japan, Trinidad and Spain. Our faculty have expertise in the study of:

• Sound studies
• Eco-performance
• Environmental humanities
• Diplomacy
• Performance, sound and the law
• Art and technology
• Art and architecture
• Immersive art
• Subcultural studies
• Ethnomusicology
• Music
• Japanese performing arts
• EDM
• Folklore
• Dance and movement
• Ghanaian performance
• Film studies
• Film and media
• Archiving and documentation

Our Students

Our students come from all parts of the world (the U.S., Colombia, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Ukraine and Ghana, to name a few) and have diverse academic backgrounds (from theatre, music and dance to K-12 education and library science). This plurality of ideas and viewpoints around performance energizes the program and provides each student with a well-rounded liberal arts experience.

Thrive in Small Classes

We keep our graduate classes small to give each student the support they need to pursue their research projects, participate in class discussions, and interact with the Bryan-College Station community.

Careers

Our M.A. program prepares students to pursue a broad range of career paths, specifically:

• Cultural institutions (museums, theatre companies)
• Intercultural industries (tourism, cultural exchange)
• Media and marketing (art criticism, corporate communications)
• Arts administration and production
• Many also go on to top Ph.D. programs nationwide.

Recent graduates have secured jobs such as the director of operations and director of juvenile justice and education specialist at Austin Classical Guitar (ACG); a copywriter at KWHI Radio; the director of learning and design at EMERGE Fellowship; and the senior program coordinator for global collaboration in the Buffett Institute’s Research and Programs at Northwestern. Performance Studies M.A. graduates who went on to complete their Ph.D. now have faculty positions in the Communication and Media Department at University of Southern Indiana and the Theatre program in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts at Texas A&M University.

Other recent graduates have been admitted to highly competitive Ph.D. programs around the country such as the University of California, Santa Barbara; Tufts University; Louisiana State University; Texas A&M University; and CUNY School of Law.