Master of Fine Arts
The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree is conferred by the President and Fellows of Yale University on students holding a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college who complete with distinction any of the programs of study outlined and who exhibit excellence in their professional practice. Three years in residence is the time required for this work; on rare occasions the faculty of David Geffen School of Drama may reduce the residency requirement, but in no case below a minimum of two years. The M.F.A. is awarded in the following areas of study: Acting, Design, Directing, Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism, Playwriting, Stage Management, Technical Design and Production, and Theater Management.
Doctor of Fine Arts
The Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) degree is conferred by the President and Fellows of Yale University on students who hold the M.F.A. degree in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism and who have completed the M.F.A. qualifying comprehensive examinations and have written a dissertation of distinction on a subject approved by the D.F.A. committee. This committee is comprised of the full-time faculty of the Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism program.
Certificate in Drama
The Certificate in Drama is conferred by the President and Fellows of Yale University on students who do not hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited college, but who complete with distinction the three-year program of study in Acting, Design, Directing, Playwriting, Stage Management, or Technical Design and Production. The Certificate in Drama is subject to the same training requirements as that of the M.F.A. degree. Upon written request the certificate will be converted to an M.F.A. degree if a student later satisfactorily completes an accredited bachelor’s degree elsewhere.