Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology
Graduate Programs in Visual and Performing Arts
Overview
The Graduate Programs in the Visual and Performing Arts (MA, PhD) foster integrated study and practice in the arts. The MA and PhD programs provide students with an interdisciplinary context in which to pursue research and practice across a wide range of creative and academic traditions and critical and theoretical approaches spanning the Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS). Students can focus their studies in film, visual art, performing arts, and art history. Students have the opportunity to enrich their practice in the performing and visual arts and to participate in seminars in disciplines outside of the VPAS such as art history, history, philosophy, and literature.
Doctor of Philosophy in Visual and Performing Arts
60 semester credit hours minimum beyond the master's degree
Admission Requirements
In addition to the University's general admission requirements, applicants are required to submit the following materials as part of their application file for holistic admission consideration:
- Two letters of recommendation
- A statement of purpose/essay 1
- An academic/scholarly writing sample (e.g., a seminar paper or critical essay) 2
- A curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
1 The required essay must include a brief personal narrative and a research or artist statement. The statement should also explain why the program is a good fit for their intended goals and which faculty members the student identifies as potential advisors. Statement should not exceed 750 words.
2 Creative Dissertation Applicants are strongly recommended to also include a link to a portfolio that includes recent projects. Applicants who would like to submit this item should include the link in the same file/document as the required academic/scholarly writing sample and upload the combined document through their application checklist.
Deadline: Please take note of doctoral application deadlines for doctoral programs. All complete application files received by the deadline will be reviewed for admission. Students are accepted for the fall semester only.
- Fall Deadline - December 15
Applications submitted or completed after the deadline may be reviewed for admission only if spaces remain within the upcoming cohort and will be reviewed in order by the date the application file became complete.
Faculty
Professors: Fred I. Curchack, Erika Doss, Adrienne L. McLean, John J. Pomara, Robert Xavier RodrÃguez, Charissa N. Terranova, Michael Thomas, Marilyn Waligore
Associate Professors: Mark Rosen, Shilyh Warren
Assistant-Professors: Ali Asgar Alibhai, Hanno Berger, Laura Hyunjhee Kim, SV Randall
Clinical Professors: Carie King, Catherine Parsoneault
Clinical Associate Professors: Linda Salisbury
Clinical Assistant Professor: Sarah Kozlowski
Professors of Instruction: Diane Durant, Kelly P. Durbin, Kathy Lingo, Jonathan Palant, Monica M. Saba
Associate Professors of Instruction: Kathryn C. Evans, Melissa Johnson, Katrina Rushing, Lorraine Tady
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Danielle Avram, Lori Gerard, Domi Oh, Nili Riemer Bueckert
Coursework: 42 semester credit hours
Forty-two semester credit hours of which at least twenty-one are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts (VPAS).
Required Courses: 30 semester credit hours
VPAS 6300 Proseminar in Visual and Performing Arts1
ARHM 6310 Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar
15 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level VPAS courses (AHST courses may be counted toward this requirement)
9 semester credit hours of Field Exam Preparation, of which at least 6 semester credit hours must be VPAS 8305
12 semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.
Foreign Language
Students in all PhD programs in the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology are expected to demonstrate intermediate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language (equivalent to two years of foreign-language study at the undergraduate level). Students must fulfill the language requirement before scheduling doctoral field examinations.
As part of its approval of a dissertation proposal, the Graduate Studies Committee will consider the appropriateness of a candidate's language preparation for the research or creative project. Faculty members chairing field examinations and dissertations should ensure that students possess the necessary language proficiency to carry out their proposed doctoral research.
The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in a Ph.D. program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:
- Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better.
- Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language.
- An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language.
- Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
- A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways:
- Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better.
- Successful completion of LIT 6326 with a grade of B or better.
- Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.
Doctoral Field Examinations
The doctoral field examinations consist of two written sections and an oral defense. The examining committee, composed of three members of the faculty (at least two of whom must be in the Visual and Performing Arts Program) oversees definition and preparation of the two examination fields. Initial committee formation must take place during the semester in which students complete thirty-six semester credit hours of coursework, which will typically be followed by nine semester credit hours of Field Exam Preparation, of which at least six semester credit hours must be VPAS 8305.
Dissertation
Students are formally advanced to Ph.D. candidacy when they have successfully completed the doctoral field examinations. After that examination, a four-person supervising committee is formed, normally from the examining committee plus an additional faculty member, to oversee dissertation work. The supervising committee must then approve a formal dissertation proposal before the student submits it to the Graduate Studies Committee for final approval.
Each candidate then writes a doctoral dissertation, which is supervised and defended according to general University regulations.
Master of Arts in Visual and Performing Arts
33 semester credit hours minimum
Admission Requirements
In addition to the University's general admission requirements, applicants are required to submit the following materials as part of their application file for holistic admission consideration:
- Two letters of recommendation
- A statement of purpose/essay 1
- An academic/scholarly writing sample (e.g., a seminar paper or critical essay) 2
- A curriculum vitae (CV) or resume
1 The required essay must include a brief personal narrative and a research or artist statement. The statement should also explain why the program is a good fit for their intended goals and which faculty members the student identifies as potential advisors. Statement should not exceed 750 words.
2 Applicants planning to complete the creative research option are strongly recommended to also include a link to a portfolio that includes recent work. Applicants who would like to submit this item should include the link in the same file/document as the required academic/scholarly writing sample and upload the combined document through their application checklist.
Deadline: Please take note of regular application deadlines. All complete application files received by the deadline will be reviewed for admission. Students are accepted for the fall and spring semesters.
- Fall Deadline - May 1
- Spring Deadline - October 1
Applications submitted or completed after the deadline may be reviewed for admission only if spaces remain within the upcoming cohort and will be reviewed in order by the date the application file became complete.
Faculty
Professors: Fred I. Curchack, Erika Doss, Adrienne L. McLean, John J. Pomara, Robert Xavier RodrÃguez, Charissa N. Terranova, Michael Thomas, Marilyn Waligore
Associate Professors: Mark Rosen, Shilyh Warren
Assistant Professors: Ali Asgar Alibhai, Hanno Berger, Sibyl Kempson, Laura Hyunjhee Kim, Rowena Pedrena
Clinical Professors: Carie King, Catherine Parsoneault
Clinical Associate Professor: Linda Salisbury
Clinical Assistant Professor: Sarah Kozlowski
Professors of Instruction: Diane Durant, Kelly P. Durbin, Kathy Lingo, Jonathan Palant, Christopher (Chris) Ryan, Monica M. Saba
Associate Professors of Instruction: Kathryn C. Evans, Melissa Hernandez-Katz, Lorraine Tady
Assistant Professors of Instruction: Danielle Avram, Barbara Baker, Lori Gerard, Janece Glauser, Domi Oh, Nili Riemer Bueckert, Allison Templeton
Coursework: 33 semester credit hours
Thirty-three semester credit hours of which at least eighteen semester credit hours are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Visual and Performing Arts.
Required Courses: 21 semester credit hours
VPAS 6300 Proseminar in Visual and Performing Arts1
ARHM 6310 Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar
15 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level VPAS courses (With permission from the program head, courses in Art History may count as VPAS courses.)
Twelve semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.
Professional Option
Students in the professional option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework. They are not required to complete a portfolio or meet the foreign language requirement.
Research Option
Students in the research option must complete thirty-three semester credit hours of coursework, fulfill a foreign language requirement, and complete a portfolio.
Foreign Language
The research option MA degree requires demonstrated proficiency in an approved foreign language. The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in the MA program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following:
- Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better.
- Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language.
- An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language.
- Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
- A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English.
The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways:
- Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better.
- Successful completion of with a grade of B or better.
- Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.
Portfolio
Two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master's committee.
Graduate Certificate in Arts Management and Leadership
13-15 semester credit hours
The Graduate Certificate in Arts Management and Leadership is jointly offered by the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, program in Visual and Performing Arts and the School of Economic, Political and Policy Sciences program in Public and Nonprofit Management.
This graduate certificate focuses on the knowledge and skills necessary to work in the nonprofit sector professional settings that provide visual or performing arts content and services.
The Graduate Certificate in Arts Management and Leadership is designed for individuals who are interested in the practical management side of the arts. This can involve running a nonprofit museum, repertory dance company, or music performance organization; managing an art gallery; or simply managing a professional creative's personal brand.
Admission Requirements
The Graduate Certificate in Arts Management and Leadership is open to any applicant. Applicants must submit the University's general admission requirements to complete their application file.
Deadline: Please take note of regular application deadlines. All applications completed by the deadline will be reviewed for admission. Students are admitted for the fall and spring semesters.
- Fall Deadline - May 1
- Spring Deadline - October 1
Applications submitted or completed after the deadline may be reviewed for admission only if spaces remain within the upcoming cohort and will be reviewed in order by the date the application file became complete.
Coursework
Foundational Courses: 6 semester credit hours
PA 6382 Nonprofit Management
VPAS 6313 Advanced Studies in Creative Arts Leadership
or VPAS 6395 Advanced Studies in Performing Arts Leadership
Focus Courses and Internship/Professional Experience: 7-9 semester credit hours
PA 6335 Resource Development for Nonprofit Organizations
or PA 6369 Grant Writing and Management
or PA 6374 Financial Management for Nonprofit Organizations
or PA 6389 Volunteer Management
or PA 6345 Human Resources Management
PA 6V97 Internship
or VPAS 6V97 Internship/Portfolio in Arts Leadership
1. Must be taken during the first Fall semester of enrollment in the program.