THPST-PHD - Theater and Performance Studies (PhD)
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Program Overview
The mission of the graduate program in Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS) is to educate students who work on the leading edge of both scholarly and performance practice. The PhD program includes the study of critical theory, dramatic literature, performance theory, theater history, and performance making. Graduate students receive a rigorous education in scholarly and creative practice encompassing production elements (directing, acting, choreography, and/or design).
As this program is full time, doctoral students in the Theater and Performance Studies PhD program are expected to maintain a significant physical presence on campus throughout their graduate studies. This ensures that students have access to advisors and mentors, libraries, and other resources that support timely progress towards completion of degree requirements. Additionally, being on campus ensures that students are part of the academic and campus community which supports continued professional development.
Admissions Information
Information on how to apply for graduate study at Stanford is available on the university’s Graduate Admissions website. Application information specific to the Theater and Performance Studies PhD can be found on the Theater and Performance Studies website.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
Students are expected to enroll in all required courses for a letter grade unless that option is not available. Grades of B or lower indicate that a student may not be performing at the level expected of a doctoral student in the program.
TAPS PhD students must complete the following:
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course is a two-quarter required course in which students enroll for two units in autumn and two units in winter.
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In the first year, students take TAPS 371P Theater and Performance Making, which focuses on generating original creative work through various techniques. TAPS 372 Directing Workshop: The Actor-Director Dialogue is usually taken in the first year.
TAPS 376 Projects in Performance is taken in the second year.
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At least five additional graduate seminars (for a minimum total of 20 units) within the Department of Theater and Performance Studies are worked out with the advisor.
Elective seminars include:
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Students must successfully complete three examinations (comprehensive, qualifying, and department oral) by the end of the first three years of study at Stanford. As these are considered critical milestones indicating satisfactory academic progress, each student must pass their relevant exam (First-Year, Second-Year, or Third-Year) to advance in the TAPS PhD program. Failure to pass a required Exam will result in the student not making satisfactory progress and may result in the student’s dismissal from the program.
The First-Year Comprehensive Exam is taken within the context of a required seminar, TAPS 301 World Theater History. This is a two-quarter required course in which students enroll for two units in autumn and two units in winter. The exam itself takes place at the end of winter quarter. In the exam format, students receive prompts for writing argument-driven essays, roughly eight to ten pages each. These essays should demonstrate skills of close reading and historically rigorous analysis and the ability to synthesize multiple source materials.
The Second-Year Qualifying Exam consists of a 25-30 page essay on a pre-1900 historical topic relevant to the Theater and Performance Studies field. The student selects a TAPS faculty advisor to guide them through the writing process. The essay is due to the Student Services Officer in the 8th week of autumn quarter of the student's second year. The student’s advisor selects two additional TAPS faculty readers who evaluate and provide readers’ reports for the student. The student substantially revises and resubmits the essay in the third week of spring quarter. Evaluation criteria include clarity of expression, ability to undertake original historical research, and capacity to sustain a persuasive argument. The readers and the advisor evaluate the revised essay and determine if the exam constitutes a pass.
The Performance Project is completed in winter quarter of the second year. A faculty advisor works with the student throughout autumn and winter quarters on the production and attends a combination of dress rehearsals or final performances as part of the evaluation. After the performance, the student participates in a viva voce, or talk-back, with the supervising faculty. Students register for four units of TAPS 376 Projects in Performance while completing their performance project.
The Third-Year Department Oral Exam tests the student’s knowledge of three Theater and Performance Studies sub-fields. It is based on three annotated reading lists created by the student in consultation with three faculty members with whom they meet about their readings. The exam format consists of an opening overview by the student integrating the readings, followed by questions from the committee about the reading lists.
The Academic Council Faculty must evaluate the program and progress of each student at the end of each academic year. At the end of the first year, the Academic Council Faculty evaluates each student’s work in classes, seminars, examinations, and performance. Production planning for the following season in the spring of each year is contingent upon students making satisfactory progress. Continuation in the program depends upon the recommendation of this faculty group. At the end of the second year, the committee reviews the student’s work in consideration of being admitted to candidacy. By the beginning of the fourth year, students are expected to have developed an approved dissertation prospectus. Failure to make satisfactory progress may result in dismissal from the program.
Note: Any substitutions to required courses must be in the department and approved by the Director of Graduate Studies in response to a written request by the student. Students can take up to 6 units of TAPS 390 Directed Reading to count towards the 135 units required for graduation.
Admission to candidacy is a prospective judgement by the faculty of a student’s potential to successfully complete the requirements of the degree program. Students are expected to complete qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of their second year in the program.
At the end of the second year of study, the Academic Council Faculty decides whether to admit an individual student to candidacy. Based on its evaluation of the student, the Academic Council Faculty certifies the student’s qualifications for candidacy. Candidacy is a crucial decision grounded in an overall assessment of a student’s ability to complete the PhD program at a high level.
As detailed in the department’s Graduate Handbook, there are prerequisites for admission to candidacy: the completion of specified coursework, the first-year qualifying exam, the second-year qualifying papers, and the language requirement. However, fulfilling these prerequisites and grades in courses constitute only a part of the evidence that faculty weighs in making this judgment.
Since the PhD is conferred upon candidates who have demonstrated through their dissertation the ability to conduct substantive, original research that contributes to knowledge in theater and performance studies, the candidacy decision also rests upon indicators of the student’s ability to perform work in the field.
Upon favorable action, the student files a formal application for candidacy by the end of summer quarter of the second year. Failure to advance to candidacy results in the student’s dismissal from the program.
In Theater and Performance Studies, the university oral examination is a dissertation defense. A complete draft of the dissertation must be submitted at least 75 days before the proposed degree conferral.
The dissertation is an original work of scholarship created under the supervision of a primary dissertation advisor. The dissertation is the capstone of the PhD in Theater and Performance Studies.
The candidate’s dissertation reading committee must approve the dissertation prospectus by week 10 the autumn quarter of the fourth year. The prospectus should be eight to ten pages and minimally cover three things: the research question and context, the methodology for research, and a complete chapter-by-chapter plan.
Students must demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language. The language requirement may be fulfilled in any of the following ways:
Achievement of a sufficiently high score (70th percentile) on the foreign language examination prepared by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). ETS does not test Latin and Greek
A reading examination given each quarter by the various language departments, except for Latin and Greek.
A grade of B or higher in a 100-level or higher foreign language course at Stanford
The student must demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language. The language requirement must be met before the student can be advanced to candidacy.