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This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Drama

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Graduate Programs in Drama

University requirements for the Ph.D. are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin. All graduate study in the Department of Drama leads to the Ph.D. degree. The doctoral program in Drama aims to integrate practical theater work with the critical and historical study of dramatic literature and theory. Candidates are expected to function both as scholars and as theater directors. The curriculum offers a two-year practical concentration in directing along with the study of critical and performance theory, aesthetics, history, and literature. The goal of the program is to give students a thorough knowledge of the field that leads to original and significant scholarly work grounded in practice as well as an inventive directorial practice that is based on solid scholarly analysis.

Admission—Applicants for the Ph.D. program can visit our web site at http://drama.stanford.edu or write directly to the Department of Drama, Attention: Graduate Admissions, for information. Online graduate applications are available at http://gradadmissions.stanford.edu. In addition to the required statement of purpose, applicants must submit a statement detailing their practical theater experience, a sample of their written critical work, and a statement on directing. An invitation to interview may be extended by the end of January. Graduate students in the Department of Drama begin study in Autumn Quarter of each academic year; there are no mid-year admissions. Graduate students must be degree candidates.

The Department of Drama awards a number of fellowships to students in the Ph.D. program.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

  1. Units and Course Requirements—
    1. A minimum of 135 units of graduate courses and seminars in support of the degree. These units are in addition to units for the doctoral dissertation.
    2. Core seminars: 300A, 300B, 301, 302, 303, 304
    3. Three additional graduate seminars within the Department of Drama to be worked out with the adviser.
    4. Four workshops in directing: DRAMA 370, 372, 373, 374. In the first two years, students take: 370, Concepts of Directing; 372, Projects in Directing; and 373, Directing and Dramaturgy. In the second year, students take 374, Graduate Directors' Performance Project, to stage a more fully developed production chosen in consultation with the faculty.

    The following department requirements are in addition to the University's basic requirements for the doctorate.

  2. Language Requirement—The candidate must demonstrate reading knowledge of one foreign language in which there is a major body of dramatic literature. The language requirement must be met before the student can be advanced to candidacy. The language requirement may be fulfilled in any of the following ways:
    1. achievement of a sufficiently high score (70th percentile) on the foreign language examination prepared by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Latin and Greek are not tested by ETS.
    2. a reading examination given each quarter by the various language departments, except for Latin and Greek.
    3. pass with a grade of 'B' or higher courses in Literature/History numbered 100 or higher in a foreign language department at Stanford.
  3. Teaching Requirement—Four quarters of supervised teaching at half time are a required part of the Ph.D. program. The requirement is normally met by teaching three courses during the fourth year and one course during the fifth year. During non-teaching quarters in years four and five, students serve as research assistants.
  4. Examinations—Candidates must complete three examinations (comprehensive, qualifying, department oral) by the end of the first three years of study at Stanford.
    1. The comprehensive examination is taken over the first weekend in December of the first year. The exam is based on texts given to the student by the department before the start of the first year. Students study these texts independently. For the exam, they should be able to identify and compare plays and playwrights from the list of texts in terms of dramatic genres, styles, and periods, and to address comparatively and analytically critical issues of texts and performance.
    2. The qualifying examination, which must be completed before advancement to candidacy at the end of the second year, consists of two 25-35-page essays written in consultation with a faculty adviser. These essays should demonstrate mastery of the field such that a student would be able to teach an introductory class in the area. Reading lists for each period should be approved by the end of the first year. Each essay should cover a different period of dramatic literature and theater history. These essays should not duplicate any written work from seminars. After approval by the adviser, the graduate studies committee reads and evaluates these essays, one in each of Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters. For the first qualifying examination, choose from the following periods of Western drama:

      Classical

      Medieval and Renaissance

      17th, 18th, and early 19th century

      Modern: 1870-1980

      Contemporary: 1980 to the present

    3. The department oral examination requires three faculty members, at least two from the Department of Drama. This oral is based on a 40-page review of the literature for the dissertation that the student creates in conjunction with the dissertation reading committee. This exam is ideally taken before the end of the third year.
  5. Satisfactory Progress, Annual Review—The program and progress of each student must be evaluated by the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) at the end of each academic year. At the end of the first year, the departmental graduate studies committee evaluates the work of each student in classes, seminars, examinations, and performance. Production planning in the Spring of each year for the following season 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 advancement to candidacy. At the end of the third year, students are expected to have developed an approved dissertation prospectus. Funding is contingent upon satisfactory progress. Any student not making satisfactory progress is subject to having funding suspended.
  6. Application for Candidacy—By the end of the second year of residence, the following requirements or appropriate equivalents must be completed:
    1. the core seminars: 300A, 300B, 301, 302, 303, 304
    2. the directing workshop series (DRAMA 370-374), including the successful production of at least one work in public performance
    3. a foreign language
    4. at least two examinations.

    Based on its evaluation of the student's progress, the Graduate Studies Committee (GSC) certifies the student's qualifications for candidacy. Upon favorable action, the student files a formal application for candidacy, as prescribed by the University, by the end of Summer Quarter of the second year.

  7. Research Assistantship—Generally, the third year is devoted to graduate study and research assistantships with faculty members.
  8. Dissertation Prospectus—The dissertation prospectus must be approved by the candidate's adviser and by the departmental graduate studies committee by the end of Spring Quarter of the third year. Within 30 days of approval, a student should schedule a prospectus colloquium with the proposed reading committee.
  9. University Oral Examination—The University oral examination is a defense of the dissertation based on a full draft submitted at least 75 days before the proposed degree conferral. The examining committee consists of four faculty members, at least two of whom must be from the Department of Drama, as well as one faculty chair from outside the department who does not share an appointment with the department of any of the examiners.
  10. Dissertation—Normally, the Ph.D. program is completed in five years. The first two years should be devoted to full-time graduate study, and the third, fourth, and fifth years to research, teaching, and writing the dissertation. Following formal admission to candidacy (typically at the end of the second year), the dissertation must be completed and approved within five years from the quarter in which candidacy is granted. A candidate taking more than five years is required to reinstate candidacy by repassing the written examinations on dramatic literature.

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